Nightmare at Capeside High
by xandert-86
Summary: A horror type fic with Jack as the main character ---Warning--- Slash!
1. Those Juicy Melons !

Nightmare at Capeside High - Part 1: Those Juicy Melons!?!  
  
Jack McPhee was sitting on the small pier outside the Potter's B & B staring at the waters beneath his feet. It rippled from his unsuccessful attempt to skim a small stone all the way across to the Leery's side of the creek. As he tried to look past the surface of the water to find the stone he tried to work out what had gone wrong, he'd picked an especially smooth stone from the grass to his side and it was quite round yet flat, it should have gone well. He knew that trying to get it all the way across was a long shot but it should have done better than to just have hit the water with a loud 'Plop' noise and sunk right to the bottom, he worried that he might have woken Alexander or one of the guests in the house behind him. For some reason he actually held his breath as he listened but he heard no stirrings from the B&B. He sighed from relief, he didn't want to get into trouble with Bessie again, only last week she ran out fuming when his and Joey's game of Frisbee had kept Alexander awake and crying while she was trying to make coffee for a full house. It had been so full because it had been the summer vacation, but not anymore, today was the first day of a new school year and the feelings of dread and, for some strange reason, excitement (but mostly dread) this produced in Jack were the reason he was sitting on the Potters' dock at just approaching 6:30am. He had crept out, taking care not to wake Andie as he went round the kitchen beneath her bedroom to make an exceedingly early breakfast, because he couldn't stand to just lie in bed for ages before getting up. He didn't understand how his sister could be so peaceful on the first day of the semester, it probably had something to do with her being so at home at school.  
  
He had already seen Mitch Leery go out in his car, to the shops he guessed, but Mitch hadn't seen him. Not that he wanted to be seen now, he was quite happy where he was for now. He found the quiet of the early morning and the fresh air surrounding him calming, which he decided was most definitely a good thing today. He decided to give the skimming another go, with his next five or six stone he managed to get around half way across the creek but no further. Eventually he got bored and stopped, when he looked at his watch it was 6:40. Jack glanced round in the vain hope that Joey was up already so that he'd have someone to sit with and talk to. Calming was great but it gets boring when you've been sitting by yourself since 5:50, and besides the dock was starting to make Jack's butt go numb, again! Instead of Joey he saw some of the guests, it was a young English couple, staying in Capeside for their honeymoon. He guessed they were out for an early morning walk. He smiled and waved.  
  
"Good morning," they said together.  
  
"Good morning," he replied. "You don't know if Joey is up yet, do you?"  
  
"Joey, she's the younger girl, yes?"  
  
Jack nodded  
  
"Yes, she's been up a little while now. She's actually making breakfast right now"  
  
"Thanks," Jack replied. "Enjoy your walk," he said as he made his way past them onto the porch.  
  
Until the previous evening Jack had wondered why the newlyweds had come to Capeside on their honeymoon, why not Florida or New York or somewhere else. Jen and Andie had told him that they were doing some sort of world tour and this was just their first stop. This had quickly shut Jack up, he had replied a quick and quiet "oh," which made both girls smirk at him and call him sweet - at which point Jack quickly turned his attention back to the movie Dawson was totally engrossed in, 'Moby Dick'.  
  
Dawson hadn't even noticed when Grams wandered in with a large bowl of butter popcorn she'd just prepared in the microwave. When she'd turn to leave Jack and the two girls (Joey had been busy at the B&B helping Bessie) politely asked if she wanted to watch the movie with them. Grams declined, as she always did, saying she'd seen it before.  
  
"Like we haven't," Jen replied, "Not too long and we'll have watched this one as many times as we've been subjected to E.T.!"  
  
Everyone laughed, except Dawson who turned round from where he was lying on the floor to glare at Jen, who winked back at him.  
  
"Well, I suppose I'm not too busy," Grams had said as she sat down in an armchair next to the sofa where Jack, Jen and Andie sat.  
  
*****  
  
As Jack closed the screen door behind him, leaving the actual door open, Joey looked up.  
  
"You're up early."  
  
"Nice to see you too, Joey!"  
  
When Jack had first moved to Capeside, Joey had been the first new friend he'd made. Up until that point he thought that a four-point-o GPA was a thing of dreams, unattainable by anyone who could be considered cool by anyone else. Joey had quickly changed that.  
  
"I meant is there something bothering you for you be up this early?" Joey asked after she rolled her eyes in defeat. " I thought it was only us galley slaves who were up this early!"  
  
"- " Jack opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything Joey had already worked out the answer to her own question.  
  
"Ah yes the first day of school scare."  
  
"Got it in one" Jack smiled as he picked up a knife from the counter to help Joey with the grapefruits she was currently preparing. But as he reached for his first grapefruit Joey stopped him.  
  
"You don't have to help, but if you insist could you slice those melons instead?"  
  
"Sure," he replied.  
  
"It's just that it'll be easier if we do different jobs so that the guest can eat things that aren't just grapefruits!"  
  
"You didn't need to explain, but okay," Jack said as he rather too forcefully sliced into his first melon. Joey tried hard to suppress a laugh as juice squirted down the front of shirt and his jeans. "Like today wasn't already bad enough!"  
  
Joey turned to pick up a towel from near the sink, "Don't worry it won't stain."  
  
She reached to start cleaning Jack up. "I actually think its better that I get this, don't you, Jo?"  
  
"Hmm?" Joey went wide-eyed as she realised what she had just been about to do. "Oh!"  
  
Jack grinned at her as he took the towel from her and she blushed. Joey quickly went back to what she was doing. Jack soon had a dry, but now extra-fruity smelling, outfit and also continued slicing the melons.  
  
"I still don't see what it is about school that gets to you."  
  
"I don't see how it doesn't get to you! Okay, I do. You do well, like Andie, which why you are quite happy there. You are both probably bummed that there are only twelve grades!"  
  
"Hey no fair!" she pretended to be hurt by Jack's joke, "Anyway you do well too. You're great at sport, especially football, and its not like you suck in classes either!"  
  
"Okay," he replied. "It's not so much the school part of school that gets to me so much as some of the people who go there."  
  
Joey quickly grasped what he was getting at. She remembered the rumours that were going around about Jack last year that proved more than just rumours. She remembered the bullying and physical abuse that came hand-in- hand with those rumours. If some people couldn't get on with Jack because they couldn't accept that he was gay then it was their loss because Jack was so much fun to be around and was such a good friend to her, Pacey, Dawson and Jen. Not to mention a loving brother to Andie. This realisation of what was causing Jack to be standing next to her in the B&B's kitchen that morning made her bite her lip. Joey put down the knife she was holding and she turned to him.  
  
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Jack."  
  
Jack realised quickly that she had worked out his problem. "That's okay Joey, its not like it was your fault though, you don't need to apologise."  
  
"It wasn't an apology, idiot!" She knew Jack didn't need to spend time dwelling so she tried to start a play fight to change the subject.  
  
"No, but I should probably get one for that 'idiot' remark!" Jack grinned at Joey who now stood there, once more wide-eyed but now with a gaping mouth to match.  
  
"Oh really? Now you're just taking liberties!"  
  
Joey's plan was working.  
  
"You know you look like a fish when you do that, don't you?" He was grinning even harder now.  
  
"That's it, you're gonna pay for that!"  
  
"Oh yeah, whatcha gonna do?"  
  
"This!" Joey said picking up the towel Jack had used to dry himself off not too long earlier and, holding two corners, twirled it so that it wrapped round itself to make a whip. She now grinned her cute little grin, tongue just visible behind her teeth, as Jack's expression changed to one of worry and he started to back away from Joey as she took aim.  
  
"Joey.. Can't we talk about this?" he pleaded  
  
"Maybe you should" Bessie said as she emerged from the hallway, making them both jump. "I don't want you two waking up any of the guests. I know the Stuarts have already gone out but I don't want any complaints from any of the others! Good morning Jack, by the way."  
  
"Good morning Bessie," Jack replied, rather quickly.  
  
Joey turned to Jack, "lets call it quits then."  
  
"Agreed"  
  
And with that Bessie went to get the mail and Jack and Joey turned their attention back to the fruit.  
  
*****  
  
About ten minutes later Pacey walked in. Neither Jack or Joey had seen or heard him so he motioned to Bessie, who was playing with Alexander in the lounge area, to keep quiet.  
  
Then, in a loud of voice he said, "You know you don't get paid for trying to be helpful here, McPhee. I've tried many times!"  
  
"Pacey! You almost made me lose a thumb, and its not as though today is my favourite day of all days anyway!" Jack said, as he placed the knife back on the counter.  
  
"Good morning, Pacey. But, unlike you, Jack is actually helpful," said Joey as she did the same. Pacey pretended not to hear the last bit.  
  
"I wouldn't worry, Jack, you've got another one."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thumb, McPhee, thumb. You have two thumbs so losing one, while not too helpful on the football field, it wouldn't be the end of the world! Although one looks like it could do with some medical attention about now!" Pacey pointed out as a bead of blood dropped on to the flesh of one of Jack's melon slices.  
  
"You have a very strange of looking at things, has anyone ever told you that?"  
  
"All the time. I just say it's not strange, merely unique!"  
  
Joey handed Jack a ball of kitchen roll she'd just soaked under the tap. "It's nothing serious Jack, don't worry. Just hold this on it while I go and find a Band-Aid. Pacey?" He turned to look at her while she spoke to him. "While I'm gone, prove me wrong and make yourself useful and finish up here. Oh, and get rid of the slice of melon with 'added Jack'!"  
  
"Extra protein!" Pacey replied.  
  
"Pacey!" Joey glared at him, obviously annoyed, "The rest of our guests will be awake soon and I think Bessie and I would prefer not to get complaints about understaffing and poor food preparation!"  
  
"Alright, alright!" Pacey said, rolling his eyes, "Go, take Jack and go and play nurse!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
***** A little later all the guests (including the Stuarts) were at the table enjoying breakfast, Bessie and Alexander were on the dock where Jack had been sitting earlier that morning and Jack, Joey and Pacey now along with Dawson and Jen were sitting on the porch of the B&B.  
  
"Jack, stop that!"  
  
Jack was absent-mindedly scratching at the Band-Aid on his left hand and it was starting to get on Jen's nerves.  
  
Dawson joined in, "Yeah Jack, How's it supposed to heal if you're constantly fiddling with it?"  
  
"Sorry guys, but I promise I'm not doing it on purpose! And the design isn't helping!"  
  
"It's not my fault the only Band-Aids we had the right size were the Disney ones we bought for Alexander!" Joey explained, "And its not as though I can help the fact that he doesn't like the pink Minnie Mouse ones! Sorry!"  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure its fine! But moving on anyway! Aren't there some auditions happening at school today?"  
  
"Yeah," said Dawson, "It basically boils down to the fact that because the school play takes place in November this year for assorted reasons, they have to hold the auditions today!"  
  
"Well, I'll be there! Anyone else?" asked Pacey.  
  
They all seemed happy to go along with him and audition. Jack agreed but wasn't too sure.  
  
"Do we even know what the play is?" asked Jack, hoping he could use it to find an excuse not to do it.  
  
"Not yet!" They're just gonna get everyone to read a scene in groups to a camera and then they'll choose from there."  
  
"Right, okay then," said Jack, rather bluntly.  
  
"Where IS Andie?" asked Joey.  
  
"Don't worry she'll be here. Like Andie would ever miss school! She's probably just checking her book list and making sure all her pencils are properly sharpened!" joked Jack, glad for the change of topic, even though he'd started it in the first place. Everyone chuckled but sure enough, two minutes later Andie arrived.  
  
"Where were you Jack? I swear we should get you tagged or give you a beeper or attach you to piece of string or something! Just so I know where you are!"  
  
"Sorry Andie, but I couldn't sleep so I came over here in case anyone else was up." Jack replied, sheepishly.  
  
"Never mind, we're all here now so lets get a move on!" said Joey, herding them all off the porch. And then they all made their way toward Capeside High.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. There are Clouds Round My Silver Lining

As they walked together through the main doors, out of the autumn sun into the school, the six of them split up to go their separate ways. Jen and Andie disappeared off to the girls' locker room. Pacey and Dawson went to do God knows what kind of trouble, but if Dawson was involved it probably had something to do with the school's film equipment. Joey didn't have anything important she wanted to so she went with Jack to his locker.  
  
*****  
  
When they got to right corridor Jack took a moment to collect himself and then he approached his locker. Joey would have wondered what was making Jack act so weird had she not already known, had she not been looking at exactly the same thing as him. Together they stared for a few moments at a certain spot on the door of Jack's locker. It wasn't obvious to anyone that it was there or what it was, but many students would probably be able to guess if they had bothered to pay attention to anything last year, well the locker door in particular. The spray paint was gone but the picture of it was fresh in Jack's mind. Joey too remembered the graffiti that had been scrawled along the door, covering the grate and the neighbouring lockers. She remembered that same image of a blood red word that was haunting Jack because he was a good friend and his pain hurt her too. They had scrubbed the word off the locker, and asked Jack if he knew anything about it, he had lied, but that small discoloration from where the 'a' from 'fag' had been removed served as a constant reminder. Joey gave Jack's hand a quick squeeze as he reached slowly for the lock. He opened the door and dumped the books for his afternoon classes on the shelf. Then he quickly shut the door and nodded at Joey, who nodded back. Then they turned and walked off talking, though Joey did spot Andie and Jen through a nearby window.  
  
*****  
  
"Thanks for coming with me Andie. Grams been on at me about that gym kit all through the summer vacation!"  
  
"Don't worry about it. Its not like it was as bad as Jack's at our last school! He did the same thing with a pair of tube socks but they were so far gone we almost had to name them!"  
  
Jen laughed at this but Andie quickly cut in, "No, seriously, there was fur and everything! I liked Bubble and Squeak but in the end mom said it was a really bad idea and was quick to throw the things out!"  
  
Realising what she'd just said, Andie suddenly went quiet. Jen manoeuvred herself so she was standing in front of Andie.  
  
"Still hurts, huh?"  
  
Andie knew the question was rhetorical but she nodded anyway, "Not so much as it used to, but yeah."  
  
Jen sat them both down on a nearby bench, "I don't claim to an expert but this I know, it'll get better!"  
  
"I know, and it has. It'll always hurt though, but just a little, like just then. I mean there was a time when just thinking about her had me in tears for days but now. now I catch myself thinking about her or talking about her and I smile because I remember that I loved her and she loved me and we had so many good times together."  
  
"There you go, see you're an even better shrink than me, and I've seen a few so that's saying something!"  
  
Both girls smiled at each other for a second, then they sat back and enjoyed the early morning sun. They talked for a little about 'Moby Dick'. Again!  
  
*****  
  
"Leery, tell me again why we're dragging film and sound equipment to the Auditorium."  
  
"It's rather simple Pacey!" Dawson said. "Auditions today, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"This year the auditions are group readings."  
  
"Check."  
  
"And said readings will be filmed."  
  
"Hence the film equipment."  
  
"Well done." Dawson congratulated, sarcastically, rolling his eyes.  
  
"But why is it us who are risking a lifetime in wheelchairs to drag it all to the auditorium?"  
  
"Because I volunteered." Dawson replied, bluntly.  
  
"And I'm here."  
  
"By default. You don't really expect me to carry all this by myself now do you? This is one of the advantages of being my best friend!"  
  
"You are coming real close to me dropping this boom on your head! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just drop this load on your foot and walk off right now!"  
  
"Two words: Extra, Credit."  
  
"What are waiting for Dawson, lets get to that auditorium pronto!"  
  
Dawson sighed and fell into step behind his friend.  
  
*****  
  
Not five minutes later Jack, Joey, Dawson and Pacey had joined Andie and Jen on the bench outside. Joey was painting Jen's toenails through her open- toed sandals while simultaneously talking to Andie about the use of metaphor in 'Moby Dick'. The three guys were playing Frisbee around them.  
  
"I can't believe you brought that thing to school with you, Jack!" Andie said, ending her conversation with Joey, much to Jen's relief.  
  
He turned to answer but this broke his concentration, causing him to throw the Frisbee at Dawson slightly low. Dawson ducked but wasn't looking where he was going, too busy with the spinning disk flying at his head, and tripped over Andie's bag, which was lying on the ground behind her. He hit the floor hard.  
  
"Sorry, Dawson!" Jack said quickly, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. The fall just winded me, that's all."  
  
Jack and Pacey both offered Dawson a hand to help him up. He took them both, but as soon as he was upright he yelled in pain and fell right over again.  
  
"Well, that worked well!" Pacey said.  
  
"Pacey!" Joey scolded as she got up and Jack helped Dawson up once more. "What is it Dawson?"  
  
"My ankle, I must have hurt it when I tripped over the bag."  
  
"Sorry Dawson."  
  
"Don't worry, Andie, it wasn't your fault."  
  
"It was mine," said Jack. "I'll take you to the nurse's office."  
  
"Thanks, Jack."  
  
As they made their way into the building, Dawson leaning on Jack's shoulder, the bell announcing the start of homeroom and the first day of school sounded. Around the two boys, students started making their way toward their respective classrooms.  
  
*****  
  
As Jack and Dawson headed through the slowly clearing corridors, Dawson limping pathetically draped on Jack, Jack turned to the other boy and asked, "So, Dawson, how does it feel to officially be the first casualty of the new school year?" "Great, thanks," Dawson joked, "I'd better get a mention in the yearbook for this! But how do you know I'm the first?" They turned the corner into the nurse's office. Dawson followed Jack's gesturing arm to look at the empty room. In fact it only contained the nurse herself, reading some trashy magazine.  
  
"Oh." Dawson replied, rather feebly  
  
"I'll wait for you outside." Jack said, still smiling at Dawson's response.  
  
"No need, just go to class, I'll see you later."  
  
As Jack exited the room he heard someone laugh off to his right, which he didn't expect considering that everyone should have been homeroom 5 minutes ago. He guessed that it was a group of freshmen that'd got lost and were laughing at their predicament. So he set off to investigate, and maybe lend a hand.  
  
When he rounded the corner he saw the door to the boy's locker room swing shut at the other end of the hallway. He thought it was slightly odd because the large, windowless double doors were obviously not classroom doors. So he went up the corridor and right in. He looked around as the door closed once more, behind him this time, but he couldn't see anyone inside.  
  
"You know you should be in homeroom, don't you?" He called. "You'd better get there, you don't want to get suspended on your first day!"  
  
He had to stop himself from slapping his forehead after he'd said it. Way to sound like a nerd, Jack!  
  
He looked all round the room, even round the corners and behind the wall in the communal showers (which he despised!), but after a few minutes it was obvious no one was there. He was just turning to leave when he saw that his locker was open. Strange, he thought to himself, I haven't even used my sports locker yet this year! When he went over to close it he noticed a large brown envelope inside. As he picked the envelope up he read the words written in block capitals across the front: 'See anything you like McPhee?' He reached inside the envelope and pulled out a pile of photographs. Each of the photos showed the same scene, the communal shower behind him, but in each one the guys using it were different. As went through the top few he noticed that even he was in a couple! It must have taken quite some time to amass a collection like this, whoever had done it had done it for a reason and that reason became even more obvious to Jack as he saw a note that must have been under the envelope, still in the locker. 'We're gonna get you, you disgusting fag!' The colour of the pen they'd used reminded Jack distinctly of the graffiti that had been removed from his other locker the previous year. He stuffed the note and the photographs inside the envelope and turned to leave. That's when he noticed one more note taped to the back of the locked side of the double door. It read 'Tell anyone about this and you're dead meat."  
  
He stuffed the last note into the envelope as he ran back to the nurse's office. As he approached the door he decided he'd better play along for now and do what the note said, he couldn't tell Dawson. Well not right now anyway, he wanted to try and work out who had left the photos and the notes and deal with them himself.  
  
"I did say you didn't have to come fetch me, Jack"  
  
"Er.. yeah I know Dawson. I just wanted to check you were alright."  
  
"God, its been what like ten minutes, tops! But yeah I'm fine, it was only a twisted ankle, I'm feeling better already! What's in the envelope?"  
  
"Nothing important!" Jack replied quickly, as he shoved the envelope into his bag.  
  
Dawson gave him a quizzical look but stood up, handed his cold compress back to the nurse and said, "Okay than, I guess were homeroom bound then!"  
  
"Wasn't that a movie? You know with talking pets?"  
  
"That was HomeWARD Bound, Jack!" Dawson smiled as they walked to their classroom.  
  
When they arrived at their homeroom almost twenty minutes late, the tutor was unimpressed to say the least!  
  
"I take it you two are." he looked down at the morning's register, "Dawson Leery and. Jack McPhee!"  
  
"Yes sir." They replied in unison as he looked up again.  
  
"Would you care to explain where you have been?" He was looking furious. Neither of the boys could see why, so what if they were slightly late. "We have a lot of very important paperwork to get through this morning and you two idiots have gone and destroyed the whole schedule!" Jack thought that if this were a cartoon he'd have steam coming out of his ears!  
  
"You see sir," Dawson explained, "I twisted my ankle playing Frisbee and Jack took me to the nurses office."  
  
"Ah, I see, our very own Good Samaritan." This made the whole class chuckle. It was amazing how quickly he seemed to have calmed down, maybe he enjoyed watching the two boys squirm. "I'm new here this year, I'm Mr. Ames. And you have the pleasure of seeing me every morning from now until at least the end of the year."  
  
Neither of the boys were sure of what to say to this so they just stood there.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Don't just stand there like a couple of lobotomised chimps and sit down." This earned a smirk from a couple of the more intelligent members of the class.  
  
Dawson and Jack obediently took the only two seats left, side-by-side by the window, about halfway to the back of the room.  
  
*****  
  
By lunch that day Jack had already forgotten the goings on that morning in the locker room. He and Dawson had been rejoined by Joey, Jen and Andie and were waiting for Pacey who, unsurprisingly, had been kept after class. The five of them were sprawled on the grass outside while a Cibo Matto CD played on a low volume over the small speakers attached to Jen's discman.  
  
"Hey guys!" Pacey called as he made his way towards the five friends.  
  
"How was math class, Pacey?" Joey asked, which caused Andie to snort as she tried to suppress a laugh.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, Potter?"  
  
"Nothing, its just that you must have been having such a good time to have left fifteen minutes late!" she said, feigning innocence with her smile.  
  
"Oh, ha ha, you're so witty!" Pacey said, sitting down.  
  
"I'm in the mood for something a little more up tempo than Cibo Matto, how about you guys?" Dawson asked.  
  
"Sure," said Jen "I should have a few more CDs with me if you want to pass me my bag."  
  
Andie picked up Jen's stylish knitted record bag (probably the latest offering from her mother in New York) and handed it over, not noticing she had knocked over her brother's unzipped backpack in the process.  
  
"Great going, you big clutz!" Jack said, pretending to be annoyed.  
  
He started to move over to pick up his stuff, Andie had already started to shove a few things back in.  
  
"Umm, Jack?"  
  
"Umm, Andie." Jack said as he pushed a notebook into his bag.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
Jack turned to look at what his sister was holding in her hands. He looked down to see a large brown envelope, red pen covering the front.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	3. Nothing Can Stay Hidded For Long

Jack's heart went into overdrive as he stared at that envelope in his sister's hands. He decided in that moment that ignorance was indeed bliss; he had been so happy in those few hours that damn envelope had been out of his mind. Now it had come back and what made it worse is that it was in the hands of someone he cared for so much. That made it real, no matter what had been in it, what the consequences of it were, what anyone had done to him, he could have convinced himself it was just something he had dreamed, some twisted nightmare. But if his sister and his friends seen what those people, whoever they were (if it was in fact a they), had done to him the fear and dread they had caused him simply by the contents of that envelope. then it was real, it had happened. The silence that was hanging heavily in the air, clinging tightly around the six friends was suffocating, and it must have gone on for so long. Andie broke that perpetual silence, "Jack?"  
  
"It's nothing, Andie" he replied, with a twinge of anger in his voice that surprised even him!  
  
"Whoa, Jack, take a pill!" warned Jen.  
  
"Sorry, its nothing you don't need to worry about. Its just a few ideas that the guys on the football team had about the uniforms or something I was gonna have a long look at some point. We were gonna discuss them at practice."  
  
"Cos that's what you guys do at practice, discuss the uniforms," joked Joey. To which everyone laughed. Jack forced himself to, and it sounded awkward, but it seemed to satisfy the others. The topic was soon forgotten, Jack breathed a mental sigh of relief as the envelope was lost once more to the depths of his backpack.  
  
*****  
  
Later came the auditions for the play. Jack was just happy it got him out of fifth period, but he decided he was going to enjoy himself. If he was lucky he would even get a part, but even if he didn't he would offer his help backstage as a grip or something. For extra credit who wouldn't?  
  
All the people auditioning had to split into groups of six, so naturally, Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen, Jack and Andie were all together. Then Mr. Ames, who was apparently a new drama teacher, went out the groups and they got to pick a scene from a hat which they would have fifteen minutes to prepare before the scenes were filmed one by one. When Mr. Ames reached the gang's group Andie's hand quickly had the six friends having to perform the Rude Mechanicals' performance of Pyramus and Thisbe from A Midsummer's Night's Dream.  
  
"Great," said Pacey "Ye Olde English!"  
  
"We're seriously meant to be doing this in fifteen minutes?" questioned Andie.  
  
"Yes, so you'd better get started." Mr. Ames said coldly.  
  
"Great," said Jen "Plus they're all blokes."  
  
"Well, there is Thisbe." Jack tried to be helpful.  
  
"Who was a bloke dressed up as a woman!"  
  
"Does that make it better or worse?" asked Dawson.  
  
"God knows!"  
  
"Fine, well I call 'Wall'" Pacey put in quickly. "I mean, how much can a pile of bricks have to do?"  
  
"You'd be surprised! Anyway it was your idea to come in the first place!"  
  
"What can I say? I'm a better re-actor than an actor!"  
  
"Fine, then I'm moonshine" said Joey  
  
"Kinda vain, Jo!" Jen replied, quick wits getting the better of plain sense.  
  
"Well.. umm.. I do have a great witty response but I'm not gonna waste it!"  
  
"Fine you two bicker, continue with the ever so witty repartée!" Andie said. "I guess I'll be the narrator!"  
  
"What? Too lazy to act?" Said Dawson, smugly.  
  
"Whatever Dawson"  
  
"I get Lion," Jen said.  
  
"You've got the hair for it"  
  
"Thanks, I try," she said, pushing at her hair and grinning.  
  
"Pyramus!" called Jack quickly, realising there was only two parts left.  
  
Andie, making the same realisation as Jack, turned to Dawson, "That makes you the woman!"  
  
"Hey, no fair guys! Jen, switch?"  
  
"I guess I could."  
  
"Thank you"  
  
"Never said I would!"  
  
"Jen, don't be cruel!" said Joey, trying hard not to laugh.  
  
"Fine, but you'd better make it worth my while!"  
  
"How's this?" Dawson surprised Jen by planting a large slobbery kiss on her forehead.  
  
"That's gross! Fine you can have it, just don't ever do that again!" she said pushing him away.  
  
After they'd been through it and then rehearsed it once, their fifteen minutes was almost up so they checked they were all happy and sat down and Mr. Ames walked onto the Auditorium stage.  
  
"Any volunteers?"  
  
Andie's hand automatically shot up.  
  
"Great, up you come."  
  
They all glared at Andie.  
  
"What?" she asked, innocently "Isn't it good to get it done and out of the way? Besides, what's the point of rehearsing to be in a play if you don't want to act?"  
  
"As much as I hate to say it, but the girl's got a point!" Jen offered to the other four as they climbed onto the stage.  
  
Andie stayed centre-stage while the others took positions in the wings.  
  
"Whenever you're ready, take it away," Mr. Ames called from behind the camera.  
  
"Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show; but wonder on till truth make all things plain. This man is Pyramus, if you would know."  
  
Jack stepped on stage, bowed and.  
  
"Oh yeah so manly, look at that Band-Aid!" said a guy from the baseball team in the front row.  
  
Jack ignored the comment and the laughs that followed as he stepped back into the wings. Mr. Ames called for silence.  
  
Andie continued, "This beauteous lady Thisbe is certain."  
  
Jen repeated the movements of Jack on the other side of the stage.  
  
"this man with lime and rough cast, doth represent wall, that vile wall that did these lovers sunder."  
  
Andie stepped aside as Pacey walked to centre stage draped in an old curtain and spread his arms to make a surprisingly convincing wall.  
  
"This man with lantern, dog and bush of thorn, presenteth Moonshine."  
  
Joey walked in and stood on a block with a crescent moon of cardboard stuck to her forehead.  
  
"This grisly beast, which Lion hight by name."  
  
Andie disappeared into the wings as Dawson emerged with messed up hair and a rope tail to growl and also disappear, leaving Joey and Pacey alone onstage.  
  
Pacey began his lines: "In this same Interlude it doth befall  
  
That I represent a wall.  
  
And such a wall as I would have you think  
  
That had in it a crannied hole or chink,  
  
Through which the lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe,  
  
Did often whisper, very secretly."  
  
Jack approached Pacey at centre stage and started to speak: "Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall, show me thy chink to blink through with mine eye." Pacey placed two fingers against his own chest in a 'v'-shape, which Jack then peered through.  
  
"No Thisbe do I see! Cursed by thy stones for thus deceiving me!"  
  
Jen then walked to stand the other side of Pacey. "O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans  
  
For parting my fair Pyramus and me  
  
My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones,  
  
Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee."  
  
Jack replied," I see a voice; now I will to the chink, to spy and I can hear my Thisbe's face. Thisbe!"  
  
Jen acted like see was trying to see over a high wall instead of just Pacey as she called back "My Love!"  
  
"Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straight away?"  
  
"Tide life, tide death, I come without delay."  
  
Jen and Jack acted as if they were kissing through Pacey. Jack was in front of Pacey at this point and his kiss was aimed at his chest, where Pacey's 'chink' was. Pacey put his hand over the spot and turned to the audience, other hand over his mouth, and somehow managed to blush on cue! This managed to get a loud guffaw from the entire audience.  
  
During the distraction Andie placed a chair with a solid back on the stage as a grave and handed Joey a large twig and a lantern and leaving a stuffed toy dog at her feet. Then everyone left the stage leaving only Joey still on her block.  
  
"All I have to say is to tell you that the lantern is the moon, I that man in the moon, this thorn bush my thorn bush an this dog my dog." she said, holding the twig high and gesturing at the dog at the appropriate line.  
  
Jen walked back on stage.  
  
"This is old Ninny's tomb. Where is my love?"  
  
Dawson entered, growled at Jen, who gasped and the froze. Dawson turned to the audience.  
  
"You ladies - you whose gentle hearts doth fear  
  
The smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor -  
  
May now, perchance, both quake and tremble here,  
  
When Lion rough in wildest rage doth roar.  
  
Then know that I as Snug the Joiner am  
  
A lion fell, nor else no lion's dam,  
  
For if I should as lion come to strife  
  
Into this place, 'twere pity on my life."  
  
Dawson turned back to Jen and chased her up and down and round the stage. When at last they stopped he growled at her and she squealed. Then he roared, Jen screamed and ran off stage, dropping her cloak. Dawson then made a show of savaging her cloak and leaving it draped over the 'grave' as he exited. Jack came back onto the stage and, seeing the cloak, picked it up and held it close.  
  
"What dreadful dole is here? Eyes do you see? How can it be? O dainty duck, O dear! Thy mantle good - What stained in blood? O Fates, come, come! Cone tears confound! Out sword and wound the pap of Pyramus; cry that left pap where heart doth hop."  
  
Jack removed a rod from his jeans' belt hoop and, holding it like a sword, prepared to 'kill' himself.  
  
"Thus I die, thus, thus, thus," he stabbed himself on each 'thus', "Now I am dead, now I am fled; my soul is in the sky. Moon take thy flight."  
  
Joey, collecting up her lantern, twig and dog walked offstage.  
  
"Now die, die, die ,die, die!" again he stabbed himself with each 'die'. The audience gave a small applause as Jack finally hit the ground. Jen finally ran back onstage, pretending to be out of breath as if she has been running from Dawson all this time.  
  
"Asleep my love? What dead my dove? O Pyramus arise. Speak, speak! Quite dumb? Dead, dead? Come, trusty sword, come blade, my breast embrue." Jen pried the rod Jacks hand and stabbed herself. "Thus Thisbe ends - Adieu, adieu, adieu!" She collapsed, ending up lying next to Jack.  
  
The crowd went mad. There was cheering and clapping and whistling. After Mr. Ames had finally gotten silence he congratulated the group but quickly moved on claiming there wasn't much time to get all the scenes done. All six of the gang sat in the stalls to watch everyone else but none quite received the same ovation as they did.  
  
When all the groups were done. Mr Ames walked onstage, holding the video of the auditions in his hand, and congratulated everyone on their performances. "It's going to be extremely hard to decide who will get into the play, but I assure you that I will try to get as many of you in as possible. I will post the name of the play and the cast listings on the board outside my classroom by the end of the week."  
  
*****  
  
It was the end of the school day, not only had the auditions taken up all of fifth period but most of sixth as well. They still had to go along to apologise and pick up any assignments but Jack was glad, after a summer of no school and getting up at 6am he just wanted to sit and do nothing for a while. Although out of the six friends he was the only one for who this wasn't an option; he had football practice straight after school. It was annoying, but Jack loved his football, it was like escapism, when he was on the field it was like the only thing that mattered was playing his best, and hopefully winning, and all his problems just fell away.  
  
When he arrived, ten minutes late (he was making a habit of tardiness, he'd better not keep it up!), the coach explained that he was starting practice on the first day so he could get as many sessions in as possible before it was getting dark too early to practice after school. The team was all already changed, so they went out to the field and Jack was ordered to join them as soon as he was changed. When the locker room was empty he remembered his books in his locker and decided to grab them while he remembered. He ran down the corridor, the door taking ages to shut as always. He was round the corner and past the nurse's office before he heard the 'thud' as it shut.  
  
When he got back to the locker room he dumped his books in his locker and pulled his football kit out of its bag. He pulled his shirt off, over his head and left it on top of his books in the locker and then he heard it. That laugh, the one he'd heard that morning. It was loud enough for Jack to know it was coming from somewhere in the locker room. And he realised that, even though the door takes a long time to close, he shouldn't have been able to get as far as he did before the door shut; someone else had entered when he'd left and so the door took longer to shut.  
  
"Hello?" he called as he made his way towards the noise, "who's there?"  
  
He heard another noise, from behind him. He spun round quickly and automatically put himself in a fighting stance. Then he saw his shirt on the floor and realised that had been the noise so he relaxed, but only slightly; he still wasn't alone.  
  
He started to turn back around when something connected with his head. Something solid and heavy and swung with force. Jack fell flat, similarly to how Dawson had that morning, but he knew he had no one to help him to the nurse's office and that it wasn't going to be as simple as a twisted ankle.  
  
"I saw you at lunch!" he heard his attacker say, their voice blurred and vague through the blood in his ears. "I saw you show that envelope to everyone! This'll teach you to listen to what I tell you in the future!"  
  
Jack winced as he thought he was to be hit again, but a baseball bat clattered into his line of sight and he knew that wasn't the case. He tried to look up and identify his attacker but the pain was too much and everything faded to black as he passed out.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	4. Cursed REMs

Part 4 - Cursed REMs  
  
When Jack woke up again he was no longer lying on his face against a cold tile floor. He was lying in a warm bed, groggy but quite snug. He was on his back staring at large white ceiling tiles above him. They were mottled and had grey stripes separating them, the plastic that held them in place. He wished someone was holding him in place, he felt like the room was spinning. He didn't know where he was for a while and then he heard a beeping noise. It was slow and rhythmic, and he realised he was in the hospital. He tried to speak, he was too lethargic to even try to move, but nothing happened. Then he felt himself start to drift off, he was scared he was falling back into unconsciousness so tried again to call out but again nothing happened. The fear subsided when the gentle pull on his mind became familiar, he was just falling asleep. He let himself go and he began to dream.  
  
*****  
  
In his dream Jack was standing on a bridge. He was standing on a bridge in a park. There was a small brook below him and he watched it for a while. He heard singing as he stood, inhaling the pine smelling air, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He looked around him there were families playing in the distance. People were walking their dogs through the park. Off to one side he could see a group of teenagers were playing Frisbee, one of them fell over for no apparent reason and was helped into a building that was eerily familiar. He could tell from the shadows that trees lined the brook behind him, the sun that caused the shadows was warm on the back of his neck, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling the handrail of the bridge beneath his elbows. Then suddenly the warmth on his neck and back was gone. He opened his eyes again and he could see two shadows on the moving water beneath him. He spun round and saw a shadowy figure holding a baseball bat on the other side of the bridge. The bridge was far too wide and the figure was right on the other side but it had seemed to be right behind him in the shadows. He couldn't make out anything about the figure, it was a sunny day but it was like whoever it was were shrouded in darkness. They were tapping the baseball bat against their leg, as he looked at it he saw it was covered in blood. Then, then there was pain. A lot of pain, his head hurt like hell. He reached up and felt a odd sticky substance. He brought his fingers back into view and now they too were covered in blood.  
  
Then he woke up.  
  
*****  
  
He woke with a start, gasping as he sat up. Jen was at his side in an instant.  
  
"Its okay, Jack its okay." She said as she held onto his arm.  
  
Her touch soothed him. But only for an instant. "What happened?"  
  
"You mean you don't remember? One of the guys on the team found you on the floor in the locker room. Your head was covered in blood, you hadn't lost a lot but it still wasn't pretty let me tell you!"  
  
"I remember now. You saw it?" he asked.  
  
"Grams, Andie and I have been here since before you got here. Coach rang straight after ringing the ambulance."  
  
"It doesn't feel bad."  
  
"That's because they've got you on Morphine, Jack!" She sounded definitely worried. "You had to have three stitches but they said that there was no serious damage. But Andie was seriously worried when they said you were on Morphine, which got me and Grams worried too."  
  
"She knows too much for her own good." he said as he looked at his sister, asleep in a chair by the window. It was dark outside now, he looked at the clock on the wall, it was nearly midnight. He and Jen smiled at each other.  
  
"Where's Grams now? Did she go home?"  
  
"No, she went to get some coffee and something to eat," she paused for a moment, considering something. "Jack, is there something you want to tell me?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"When they found you, whoever did this to you had spray-painted 'LISTEN' on the locker doors. Does that mean anything to you?"  
  
"No," He shook his head but then thought better of it, "Argh!" He almost gripped his head but stopped himself, not wanting to cause himself more pain.  
  
"Jack, why do you keep lying to me?"  
  
"Who says I'm lying?"  
  
"I do Jack! You're my best friend, you think I don't know when you're lying? You were lying today at lunch about the envelope and your lying to me now. And I also think that the two are connected. Do you think you're protecting me from something?"  
  
"No." he said, staring at his own feet under the blue bed sheets.  
  
"Good, because you're not, you're making me worry about you more. So I'm gonna ask you once more: is there something you want to tell me?"  
  
"Yes, but I'm not sure I can."  
  
"Why? Are you scared of something? Is someone threatening you?"  
  
"Stop being insightful, it's scary."  
  
"This is serious Jack! If it helps I picked up the envelope when we were getting a bag together for you."  
  
"But how did you get it in the first place?"  
  
"I took it when we were in the auditorium this afternoon. Don't worry, I haven't looked in it," she said as she dropped it on his lap. "I want to hear this from you."  
  
He looked at her now, she was stern but he could see in her eyes that she really was worried. He couldn't hide from his friends, and right now he did need help; this was no time to be stubborn.  
  
He told her the whole story. All that she didn't already know anyway, from dropping Dawson off at the nurse's office to the attack that afternoon. When he started talking about the envelope he opened it, pulled over the small table on wheels and emptied the contents over the table. The photos landed in a pile in the centre and he handed her the notes that landed on the top. She read them and placed them on the table and picked up a handful of the photos. She did the same thing Jack had done that morning, holding them in one hand she went through them one by one, staring in disbelief.  
  
"Jack, why didn't you tell us about this? Why did you feel you had to hide this?"  
  
"I don't know. To start with I just wanted to deal with this myself. I wanted to find out who this was but after all that's just happened, I don't know why I didn't tell you."  
  
She slid the photos back into the envelope and picked up the notes. "I don't recognise the hand-writing. Who did this to you Jack?" When she looked back at him she had tears in her eyes. He wondered why she hadn't asked earlier, he would have thought that it was one of the first things a person would ask. But emotions were running high, she must have been out of her mind with worry. He knew because he would have been if things were reversed, if he were sitting on Jen's hospital bed, if he had to watch his friend lying unconscious. Plus she had wanted Jack to tell her, she was trying to make him see that she was always there for him to talk to.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You didn't see them?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you have any ideas who it was? You said they spoke to you, did you recognise the voice?"  
  
"No, I couldn't hear properly, there was blood in my ears."  
  
He watched her gaze shift to his head.  
  
"Is it bad?" he asked.  
  
"Let's just say you may want to wear a hat for the next few days." The stitches were ugly, the way they stuck out of his head like that. She had watched them put the stitches in her friend. She had watched her friend, limp as a ragdoll, being supported by a nurse as his head was shaved round the wound. She had winced for him every time that needle had been stuck in his head, injecting iodine to clean and disinfect the wound. She had squeezed Grams' hand as they watched the doctor tie those three stitches.  
  
"We'll find out who did this to you together then." she said, still watching the three thread knots above and behind Jack's ear.  
  
"Great, Nancy Drew is on the case!" he said, sarcastically. She shoved his arm playfully.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow then, you'd better get some sleep."  
  
"What, I can't go home?"  
  
"No, they sewed you back together all right, but they want to keep you in for observation and to check you don't have a concussion."  
  
"Jen?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"When I was sleeping earlier I had a dream and I think it was very much about the attack."  
  
"It was just a dream -"  
  
"More like a nightmare."  
  
"Still, it doesn't mean anything. Anyway, I'll stay, but just till you're asleep."  
  
"Thanks"  
  
She pulled a chair over next to the bed and sat in it. Jack fell asleep quickly, it was probably because of the drugs, he looked so peaceful. But Jen still didn't leave, she fell asleep too, her head next to Jack's. And that's how they were when Grams walked back in the room. She pulled Andie's blanket back up round her shoulders and unfolded another blanket to cover Jen. She then sat down in another chair, blanketless and she smiled as she watched the three friends before she too fell asleep.  
  
*****  
  
Jack dreamt again.  
  
In his dream Jack was back on the bridge. He listened to the small brook below him and he watched it for a while. The singing still haunted him, its notes dancing on his ears but the words still a mystery. He breathed deeply, the pine smelling air filling his lungs. The families were once again playing in the distance, picnic rugs left idly to flap their corners in the breeze. A sharp bark brought his attention to the dog walkers, the same dogs, the same walkers, the same routes! Everything was the same as last time. Jack found it eerie and it made it worse that he could guess how it was going to end. Off to one side he could see the teenagers were playing their game of Frisbee again, when the same one, a tall blonde boy went flying, again. He looked back at the water and the shadows of the trees behind him, surrounding his own, that seemed to ripple as the brook moved. As he gripped the reassuringly sturdy wood rail the warmth on his neck and back was gone once more. He opened his eyes again and he could see two shadows on the moving water beneath him. He spun round and saw a shadowy figure holding a baseball bat on the other side of the bridge. The bridge was far too wide and the figure was right on the other side but it had seemed to be right behind him in the shadows. He couldn't make out anything about the figure, it was a sunny day but it was like whoever it was were shrouded in darkness. They were tapping the baseball bat against their leg, as he looked at it he saw it was covered in blood. Like last time the figure never moved apart from the tapping of the baseball bat, but Jack was suddenly sent flying backward, through the handrail that had supported him and landed in the brook. His clothes were soaked and he felt the pain in his head again. As his perspective changed he could see that the water turned red as it drew level with him. It didn't do it as he would have expected it to, it didn't go red as it passed his bleeding head but as it passed his feet the water darkened until the entire width of the brook was deep red by the time it reached his waist.  
  
Jack sat bolt upright in his bed.  
  
*****  
  
He was alone.  
  
He looked around the room in the hospital and he was alone. He was sweating and he wanted to tell someone about the nightmare, he needed someone to be there. He was seventeen but the dream had still been enough to chill him to the bone.  
  
Jen walked in and found him there, sitting bolt upright, hands behind him gripping the edge of the bed an expression of absolute fear on his face as he stared back across the room at her, breathing hard and deep. She walked up to the side of the bed and hugged him as he wept into her shoulder.  
  
He cried for about a minute but Jen knew that something was deeply wrong, she had done the minute she'd walked in the room. "Well."  
  
"Well. what?"  
  
"I'm here ready to play at guidance counsellor, so spill boy!"  
  
He smiled, he found it reassuring that Jen was still. well. Jen.  
  
"It was the dream again, wasn't it?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Guess I just got promoted to psychoanalyst! Wanna tell me about it?"  
  
So he did, every detail, every sight, every sound, every smell, colour and feeling. He remembered it all, and he told it to her.  
  
"It just sounds to me that you're doing what anyone would in your position. You're scared so you get to relive it in full Technicolor and surround sound!"  
  
"Well, I did that, so can it stop now?"  
  
"'Fraid I don't get to decide that! That part's up to you."  
  
"Huh, wanna vague that up for me?"  
  
"I don't know much but here's what I do know; no one can help you get over what happened to you, you have to find some way to resolve whatever issues you have and then the dreams stop."  
  
"Thanks much, Freud"  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Then a nurse entered, "O good, you're awake." Then she turned to Jen, "I going to have to ask you to leave now, honey. You can come back again this afternoon, but if everything looks okay you won't have to."  
  
"It's okay I've got to go to school anyway." Jen kissed Jack on the forehead and left. The nurse turned back to Jack, "We just have to check you for concussion and you're good to go."  
  
*****  
  
Jen was not expecting the interrogation she received when she got to school.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Is he going to be alright?"  
  
"When are they releasing him?"  
  
"Brutal attack in school locker room, fine but scared, yes, this afternoon as long as he's okay! But in future try one a time please to stop my head from spinning around and exploding!"  
  
"Okay, we get the picture, its not a particularly nice picture, but we get it! Play-nice-to-girl-on-only-five-hours-sleep type picture, right?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
The rest of the day went pretty much as normal, excepting one or two tellings-off for slack concentration.  
  
*****  
  
Jack was preparing to leave as his five friends came to check up on him.  
  
"We come bearing gifts," Joey announced as Andie knocked on the already open door. Pacey handed Jack a large helium balloon with 'Happy Birthday' written across it. Jack looked at Pacey and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged back "They'd run out of 'I hope you aren't brain damaged', what was I supposed to do?"  
  
Joey rolled her eyes as she handed over a large box of chocolates. "Ignore him."  
  
"Don't worry, I do!"  
  
Jen dumped a NYC cap on his head. "See: practical and yet reminds you of me!"  
  
"And in no way something that can be picked up at any store this side of the equator! No I love it!" he said, grinning.  
  
Andie handed Jack books and a small pile of paper.  
  
"Homework?"  
  
"My way of saying 'Get well soon'!"  
  
"You know chocolate says that even better." he said pointing at his new box of Hershey bars.  
  
"I did all your assignments for you, all you have to do is sign your name!"  
  
"Chocolate means nothing to me!"  
  
"Are you sure you're good to go?"  
  
"Yes Pacey, I'm fine! I know my name, who's president and how many fingers and I've been in for the 24hr observations and I'm fine!"  
  
"Whoa, down boy! I only meant you could really milk this for all it's worth! You know days off school, no assignments, all the ice cream you can eat."  
  
"You're glazing over Pace!" said Joey, waving her hand in front of him.  
  
"Funny, Potter."  
  
"No I just want to get back to normal and besides, ice cream is for a tonsillectomy!"  
  
"Normal may not be an option with some of the theories flying around school!" Dawson warned.  
  
"O great, theories!"  
  
"Yep, you've either broken up with your boyfriend who didn't like the idea and turned nasty, or you drank fifteen café mochas and fell down the stairs delirious from a caffeine high or there's the truth that somehow got leaked by a member of the football team!"  
  
"Great! But I guess it's a good thing that at least one third of the school already knows what actually happened!"  
  
They all laughed as they made their way out of the room. Jack adjusted the cap on his head, forcing him to touch the stitches for the first time. He winced in pain, but quickly ignored them as he walked on talking with his friends.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	5. Return of a Warrior

Part 5: Return of a Warrior  
  
When they all got back from the hospital they all sat outside. It was only six o'clock so it was still bright and warm and Jack was glad for it after being stuck inside for the last 24 hours. They were sitting on the grass drinking juice and talking. Jack hadn't taken long to break into his chocolate and was now sharing out a bar between the six of them.  
  
"I still say 'The Fifth Element' is better, Dawson!"  
  
"Pacey, of the two of us, which is the film buff?"  
  
"Okay, you! But how is '2001 A Space Odyssey' even comparable? I mean that's like three hours of my life I'm never seeing again! Okay I probably wouldn't have done much with them but I'd still prefer to have them back!"  
  
"But '2001' is a classic, 'Fifth Element' is nothing more than yet another telling of the same save-the-world story with its own little twists."  
  
Okay, Jack thought, so not so much talking as arguing!  
  
"But it's those twists that make such a great movie! I mean, come on, Lei- Lou, she was hot!"  
  
"O great... now we've got hormones involved," said Joey, "Now I really can't see this being settled by logic!"  
  
"And it because of this very testosterone poisoning display right in the middle of the video store," Jen said glaring at the two boys, "that I rented neither movie!"  
  
"What did you get?"  
  
"Considering that this is meant to be a 'welcome home Jack' evening –"  
  
"Not that I was gone that long"  
  
"- I got something that he'd appreciate."  
  
"I take it back, celebrate my return!"  
  
Jen handed the video over. It was a copy of 'Notting Hill'.  
  
Noticing the looks in the other two boys' eyes Jack looked slightly sheepish  
  
"Well, I like it. But we can watch something else if you like, I don't mind."  
  
"Would you like to watch 'Moby Dick' again?" Jen asked  
  
"'Notting Hill' it is then!" said Pacey grabbing the video from Jack. "Quick lets go before Dawson offers to find the video!"  
  
"Funny, Pacey!" said Dawson, getting up.  
  
"I try!"  
  
As they approached the house they could see Doug Witter knocking on the front door. He turned as he heard them coming up behind him. "Jack, I was wondering if we could have a talk about what happened yesterday."  
  
"Umm... sure." He turned to his friends "Sorry guys but I'll call you when we're done and you can come over and we'll watch the movie then."  
  
"Don't worry Jack," Dawson said. "My parents are at the restaurant till late so we'll go to mine and you just join us when you're all finished."  
  
"Thanks, see ya later then."  
  
*****  
  
"Maybe you can start by telling me what happened, Jack. What do you remember from yesterday?"  
  
Jack looked up from his glass of water, straight into Doug's face.  
  
"Everything, it's so vivid. I can't help but remember it all, but I'd rather forget it." He smiled rather pathetically, "It's only been one day but it feels longer than that."  
  
"I know. And I know you'd rather forget it, Jack, but I need you to tell me what happened."  
  
Jack nodded as he stared once more at his hands wrapped tightly round the glass. Then he watched Doug's pen scratching along the notepad, he tried to read what he was writing as Jack had to relive once more the events of the previous afternoon. He wanted Doug to get everything down so he didn't have to do this again.  
  
He told him everything, he didn't miss a single detail, he felt sick to the stomach as the telling of it made the memory even more vivid in his mind. It hit him, this had happened. It had happened to him. It was real. He hadn't read it or dreamt it or been told it by someone else.  
  
The further he got in the story the tighter the knot in his stomach got. His knuckles were white from gripping the glass so hard. His hand on the worktop was shaking now. He pulled it away and hid it in his lap.  
  
"Do you want to stop, Jack? Do you want me to call someone to be here with you?"  
  
He shook his head, "I just want to get this over with."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Jack nodded. He finished his water, but he didn't let go of the glass, and continued the story. When he said about the laughter, Doug had asked if he'd recognised the voice. Jack had told him about that morning, when he'd heard it but, no, he didn't know who it was. And so they continued, Jack talking and Doug making notes from what was said, until Jack had finished.  
  
Now Doug knew everything that had happened that day, both in the morning and in the afternoon, in the locker room.  
  
"I'm going to have to take that envelope and the photos as evidence, Jack. Do you have them with you?"  
  
Jack shook his head, "Jen has them."  
  
"Jen?"  
  
"She took them, she got me to tell her everything."  
  
Doug looked up at Jack and saw a single tear start to roll down his left cheek. Jack wiped it away with the back of his hand. Doug again checked if Jack was okay, and Jack again said he was.  
  
"Well, I have to ask you to get them back for me. If it helps I can do it for you."  
  
"No, its okay, I'll do it."  
  
Doug had to admit, he was impressed; he didn't know many people strong enough and brave enough to keep it together as well as Jack was doing. But in the end it was because he was building walls, which is very rarely an entirely good thing.  
  
Then Doug asked if there was anything else that had happened that day that seemed important or in any way relevant.  
  
And Jack made a connection. A connection between what had happened in the locker room and to something else that had happened that day. He looked straight at Doug, right in the eyes for the fist time that evening. And Doug saw the look of surprise and worry in Jack's own eyes.  
  
"I... I..."  
  
"Yes, Jack?"  
  
"I think I know who did it!"  
  
Doug seemed surprised as well. He put down the pen on top of the notepad and looked Jack in the eyes. "Go on."  
  
"There was a guy when we were all rehearsing for the play, I think his name's Stuart or Steven or something like that. He was heckling me on stage. He just a big pain, but he always mouths off at me and threatens about doing something like this. Yet another homophobic idiot matriculating at Capeside High."  
  
"But why do you think it was this guy in particular?"  
  
"He's on the baseball team, and it most certainly felt like whoever swung that bat knew what they were doing!" Jack resisted the urge to rub his head.  
  
"Well, we'll certainly look in to it. That definitely merits further investigation! Is there anything else you wanted to add?"  
  
Jack shook his head.  
  
"Well then, I guess we're done then. I'll get back to you as soon as we find anything or if I need to ask you anymore questions. I'll drop you off at Dawson's now, if you like."  
  
"Thanks, Doug."  
  
As soon as he'd waved goodbye to Doug from the Leery's porch and the police car had driven out of sight, Jack gave a sigh of relief. He turned round and knocked on the door. He planned to enjoy himself tonight. Dawson let him in and, after a few questions, they all watched the movie. Jack's plan worked, he had a great time and not once thought about his experience from the previous day.  
  
*****  
  
That night he had the dream again. The bridge, the brook, the singing, the shadowy figure and then the baseball bat had been swung to his temple and he'd collapsed right there on that bridge.  
  
The dream had woken him up with a start, and so he'd gone downstairs for a glass of water. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking when Andie walked in.  
  
"Sorry, did I wake you?"  
  
"Maybe, all I know is that I'm awake now! Did you have a bad dream?"  
  
"One of many!"  
  
"Patronising as it might seem but are you gonna be alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
"Okay then." Andie filled herself a glass of water and went back upstairs.  
  
Jack finished his water and rinsed out the glass in the sink and left it on the drainer to dry.  
  
Then he returned to his room and to sleep, which was, gladly, dreamless.  
  
*****  
  
When he woke up the next morning he could hear that Andie was already wandering round the kitchen. So he got dressed and went down to join her.  
  
"Morning," he said. Then he yawned as he sat down.  
  
"Good morning," she replied brightly. Smiling as he scratched his head and then rubbed his ear. "You look in desperate need of caffeine!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She poured him a cup from the pot she'd just brewed. A few minutes later the coffee had worked its magic and Jack was awake and alert.  
  
"So, did you have that dream again?"  
  
"Thankfully, no."  
  
"What's so bad about it?"  
  
"Well its abstract, even as dreams go! I don't know that its about anything in particular, other than its most definitely like an action replay of the other afternoon in my brain and I wish I could change the channel!" He paused thoughtfully and then continued, "And I took that analogy too far, didn't I?"  
  
"Just a little!" she smiled at him again. "But don't worry, trite as it sounds, its only a dream."  
  
Jack smiled back, "You're right... that does sound trite! But, yeah, thanks."  
  
He got himself a bowl of his morning cereal, (Jen and Andie still didn't see the need for three cereals, no matter how hard he tried to explain they just didn't get it), and poured out the last of the bottle of milk over the top. As he ate the bowl of 'Count Chocula' with one hand he wrote out a post it with the other: 'more Jack milk'.  
  
A half hour later Jack and Andie picked up their books and bags and left the house and once again the six friends met and made their way to school together.  
  
*****  
  
Once again they made it to school early and so were out on the grass in front of the school listening to music. This morning's DJ was Dawson, and Four Star Mary was currently doing the whirling dervish in the Discman. The feedback at the beginning of 'Pain' started up when Jack looked over at Jen and noticed her vacant look.  
  
As he looked round, following Jen's gaze, he saw a guy standing talking with a group of his friends. Jack recognised him from the auditions for the school play. He was tall and fairly slim. But Jack could tell he kept in shape from his biceps clearly visible trough the charcoal long-sleeved T- shirt he was wearing. He also wore a pair of faded jeans and dark blue sneakers. He had his brown hair in a stylishly messy style with blond streaks here and there. He smiled, he had dimples. Jack didn't blame Jen for staring.  
  
Jack waved his hand in front of Jen's eyes. "Penny for you thoughts."  
  
"These thoughts are private."  
  
"Okay would you mind telling us a little about the object of these private thoughts then?" Jack asked, motioning with his head in the direction of the guy.  
  
Jen looked like she wasn't going to play along but then gave in, "Joshua Anderson, just signed up for the baseball team, 3-point-2 GPA and single. He just transferred from Hemery High in Los Angeles because of his father's job."  
  
"Okay Jen, when did you become psychic?"  
  
"I didn't but Grams met his mother at church during the summer vacation and they took the trouble to introduce us so he'd have at least one friend. But it doesn't look like his had that much trouble making friends!"  
  
Jack looked back to see Joshua walking into the building.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Jen asked.  
  
"He's okay."  
  
"Okay meaning...?"  
  
"I guess some people would call him attractive."  
  
Jen glared at him.  
  
"Okay, if they had eyes!" Jack gave in.  
  
"If you say so, Jack, I'll take your word for it!" Pacey joked. The others all laughed.  
  
Nothing else was said about Joshua, the friends went back to listening to the CD, talking amongst themselves as the chorus started up:  
  
"I'm in pain, I can't sleep. I'm in pain, I can't sleep...."  
  
Dawson had an ironic taste in music that morning. Jack wished he'd picked a different CD.  
  
******  
  
When the bell went for homeroom Jack went to the bathroom first. When he stood washing his hands he stared in the mirror, he turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eyes to see the stitches in his head. He dried his hands and reached into his bag, he pulled out his new NYC cap and put it on, taking care not to disturb those ugly stitches on his head.  
  
Then he went to homeroom. He was surprised that he still managed to get there before Mr. Ames but he sat down next to Dawson. As he placed his bag on the desk in front of him Mr. Ames walked in.  
  
"The wounded soldier returns!" He said as he noticed Jack back in his classroom. He was the only one to laugh at his joke. Recovering from his poor attempt at humour the teacher tried to keep going as though it hadn't completely bombed, "You've become quite famous in a very short time Mr. McPhee!"  
  
"Er... Thank you?"  
  
The drama teacher smiled, "That was an observation not a compliment. Oh, and Jack... no baseball caps in my classroom please!"  
  
Jack obediently, but grudgingly, removed his gift and placed it back in his bag. There followed a series of whistles, "ouch"s and sharp breaths from behind him as the members of the class seated behind him saw the stitches he'd tried to hide.  
  
He ignored them as best he could. He stared out of the window... and he drifted off...  
  
******  
  
All of a sudden he wasn't sitting in the classroom, instead he was standing on the wooden bridge once more. It wasn't just like falling asleep; it was like without warning he was transported somewhere else. It was a feeling he was starting to associate with the dream and it was how he knew this wasn't simply any dream. There was something different about it. It was more... tactile, somehow.  
  
The singing once more flooded round him. It wasn't like just a song over a sound system; it was like there was someone next to him on the bridge singing. Not to him, because if they were singing to him he'd be able to see them for one thing. Let alone be able to make out the words.  
  
Everything played over again, like he was trapped, doomed to live this twisted memory over and over in his unconscious for all time. He wouldn't have minded if it stayed the same as the start, it was nice there. The laughter of children playing, the singing, the light and warmth. But then the boy tripped, went inside and the light and warmth went. He was left in the dark and cold. He turned to face his fate. He watched the figure.  
  
Then he made a choice.  
  
He smiled as he looked up at the figure. He was going to do this on his terms. He turned and he sprinted off the bridge. He raced over the green turf under his feet. He ran until he thought he'd put sufficient distance between himself and the bridge to think of a plan. Then he looked around.  
  
Nothing had changed, he was back on the bridge, figure in front of him, handrail pressed up against his back the ominous trees loomed up in the background.  
  
It was all the same as before. Jack hung his head in defeat. He was sent flying...  
  
To Be Continued... 


	6. Further Down the Rabbit Hole

Part 6: Further Down the Rabbit Hole  
  
Jack was suddenly aware of Dawson prodding his arm. As he came further back into consciousness he could hear him whispering, "Jack? Wake up, Jack."  
  
"Back with us, McPhee?" Mr. Ames was staring at Jack. But then he looked around; everyone was staring at him.  
  
"Yes... sorry." Jack replied, wishing the ground would swallow him there and then. Jack spent the rest of the homeroom in complete silence, watching the clock in the vain hope that he could speed it up by sheer will power.  
  
When it finally did end and Jack and Dawson walked out the room Mr. Ames stopped them. "What was that about, McPhee? First you fall asleep and then you continue to act as if your mind is somewhere else entirely."  
  
"Sorry, sir, I just haven't been sleeping well."  
  
"Well, that's to be expected and I know it wasn't deliberate on your part. But even so, I'm afraid I have to remind you that, contrary to what you all might think, homeroom is still a lesson and if you behave as such none of us get into the principal's bad books!"  
  
"Well, sorry again. But we gotta book now!"  
  
******  
  
"What?" Jack replied to the look that Dawson was giving him, a sort of mocking disbelief. Dawson said nothing.  
  
"Like I said I haven't been sleeping well!"  
  
Still no reply.  
  
"You know I've been dreaming all wacky-crazy! Andie brought it up this morning, before school!"  
  
"Yeah, I know, you even had to give a full account of your insaneness! It's just that I can't believe that Mr. Ames was so understanding! You missed it yesterday when he gave Stuart Mills detention for being like two minutes late!"  
  
Jack stopped in his tracks, "Stuart Mills?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, from the baseball team. He was the one giving you a hard time in the drama auditions. "  
  
"Oh, yeah," Jack said, half-heartedly.  
  
"All I can say is that either Mr. Ames likes you, or someone up there does!" Dawson said, grinning. Then he saw Jack's worried expression, he was just staring straight ahead, "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine," Then Jack looked up at Dawson, "You go on ahead, I gotta do something."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, go on or you'll be late."  
  
"Well, see ya in class then." Dawson called after Jack as he disappeared back down the corridor.  
  
******  
  
Jack finally found Mr. Ames in the bathroom where he'd put on his cap earlier that morning.  
  
Jack collected himself as he carefully shut the door behind him. "What do you know about what happened to me?"  
  
"Whoa, Jack! Where's this coming from?"  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
"Just that you were attacked, hit with a baseball bat before football practice. All that anyone knows for certain. I'm not one for speculation. Why is it important to you?"  
  
"It has been brought to my attention that you are not always the nicest of people. I have been told about you leapt down Stuart Mills throat yesterday for practically nothing!"  
  
"Is that meant to mean something?"  
  
"Well, it has also occurred to me that you seem to be operating under extreme self-control with me; like you just ignore things that I do that had others done you would have punished them!"  
  
"So are you attacking me because I'm nice to you or because you want me to punish you?"  
  
Jack realised he was right, he had jumped to conclusions, blown up about nothing.  
  
"Anyway, it doesn't look like Mr. Mills will be coming to my detention."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I would have thought you'd have known. Your friend Deputy Witter has taken him in for questioning, apparently because of something that came up with your interview with him yesterday."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, I'm surprised you weren't informed! But you'd better get to class, Jack, you don't want to be late now!"  
  
"Oh... yeah," Jack said, rather lamely.  
  
"Oh, and Jack?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"The reason I'm nice to you is because I like you and the reason I gave Stuart a detention over seemingly nothing is because I was warned that he's a trouble maker when I started here. I was told not to take any crap from him!"  
  
"Once more this morning I am going to have to apologise to you then!"  
  
"Don't worry about it, just get to class!"  
  
"Right, I'm gone!"  
  
******  
  
The rest of the morning was a pretty normal one, but when the Jack was on his way to lunch he found a large gathering of people around the boy's locker room. Nobody had been allowed in it yet, it was still a crime scene, but for some reason it was now getting a lot of attention.  
  
As he walked closer he could see Doug behind the yellow tape trying to get everyone to move along. When he reached the tape Doug lifted the tape up slightly and got Jack to follow him into the room and shut the door behind them. Jack looked around and saw four other cops going through the lockers.  
  
"What are they looking for?"  
  
"Anything that might be helpful in our inquiry."  
  
"Oh that reminds me, I got the envelope for you." Jack said, pulling it out of his bag.  
  
"Thanks," Doug took out an evidence bag and put the envelope inside.  
  
"Why didn't I get told that Stuart Mills had been taken in for questioning?" "You did, Jack! I tried to call to tell you first thing this morning but I guess you'd already left for school. So I called the school and left a message for you!"  
  
Jack took Doug's word for it, "It must have got lost somewhere then."  
  
Doug and Jack were walking through Jack's movements from the other day when there was a call from the other side of the room, "Doug!"  
  
Doug made his way to the officer who had called his name; Jack followed a few steps behind. The cop pulled back the locker door so that they could see inside. Sat in the locker was a fat red marker pen, a camera and a couple of photograph sleeves. There were no photos in the sleeves but the negatives were still in their slots. As the items were placed in evidence bags and sealed, Doug read out the number on the locker – 233 – and looked for the corresponding name on the list on his clipboard.  
  
"Well, what do you know? Its-"Doug began.  
  
"Stuart Mills'." Jack finished for him.  
  
******  
  
Ten minutes later the cops were gone and Jack was outside on the grass with his friends again. They were eating lunch, once more listening to music.  
  
"So what were the cops doing here?"  
  
"You really are dense aren't you Pacey!" Joey started, "Jack got attacked in the locker room so where else are they going to start looking for clues and the like?"  
  
"Oh, right, gotcha."  
  
"Yeah," Jack explained, "They were going through the lockers and everything!"  
  
"What, but they're private, are they even allowed to do that? 'Cos I mean the name pretty much gives it away 'locker', featured syllable 'lock'!" Jen put in.  
  
"I'm with Jen on this one; I mean our lockers are for our personal possessions!"  
  
"By that you don't by any chance mean you had 'Playboy's' in your locker do you Pace?"  
  
"My lips are sealed!" which earned sniggers and chuckles all round.  
  
"So they're on their way to arrest Stuart now?"  
  
"Yeah, they still have him in because of the questioning, but they're on their way back to formally arrest him for GBH."  
  
"Well, he deserves it, is all I can say!"  
  
"Thanks sis," Jack smiled as Andie put her arm protectively around her brother's back.  
  
******  
  
The group went past the Drama department later during the lunch hour to check if the cast list had been posted yet. As they approached Mr. Ames's office he walked out into the hallway and began to tack up the list.  
  
"Great timing guys!"  
  
"Well we try," said Dawson  
  
Joey caught sight of the name of play at the top of the piece of paper of the drama teacher's shoulder. "A Midsummer's Night Dream, huh?"  
  
"Yes, well, you guys did such a great job in the auditions I decided to use it for the real thing!"  
  
"I guess we don't have to look at the cast list then!"  
  
"No, you're all in and you're playing the same characters as in the audition."  
  
"Well, thank you, we'll be moving along now."  
  
"Okay, auditions start next Monday!"  
  
"Sure, see you then!"  
  
The six friends moved off; Jack did a double take as he passed the door but the door had already closed when he looked the second time. They continued along the corridor but Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he'd missed something important.  
  
******  
  
The rest of the afternoon went normally; or as normally as is possible when you've recently been brutally attacked at school, the entire student body knows about it, the police have just been investigating and are now on way to arrest one of the more popular sports 'stars'! Jack was overjoyed when he finally began to make his way toward the house. He put his key in the lock, let himself into the house and made his way into the kitchen. He was just about to get himself a glass of water when he saw the flashing counter on the answer machine. He pushed the button to play the fist of the three messages.  
  
"Jack? Its Doug. It's about 7am now. I'm ringi-." The message was cut short as Jack pressed the delete button to erase the message and skip onto the next one. As the message started to play Jack picked up the same glass he'd used the night before from the sideboard and filled it with water.  
  
"Its Doug again, Jack. Just to let you know that when we went back to arrest Stuart he miraculously remembered he had an alibi. We've checked it out and he was driving round with a group of guys from the baseball team in his father's car. We've had to release him from custody."  
  
Jack didn't understand. He'd been so sure it was Stuart. And what about all those things in his locker? It just didn't make any sense. Then the third message started up.  
  
"Looks like you got the wrong the guy, McPhee!" The voice was distant and muffled, like whoever it was, was speaking through something thick and heavy. "You won't find me out. You won't even know who I am until it's too late!" Jack dropped the glass and it smashed, spraying glass and water across the floor.  
  
For a short time Jack just stood there, frozen, too scared to move. Then the phone rang. It rang a couple of times before Jack picked up.  
  
"H-hello?" Jack managed to squeeze out in a hoarse whisper.  
  
"Knock knock, McPhee," it was the same distant voice as before. Then came two loud thudding knocks on the front door.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	7. Aftermath

Part 7: Aftermath  
  
Jack stood in a sea of shattered glass and water as he gripped the cordless phone, still to his ear, but the mouthpiece was down toward his shoulder.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out.  
  
"This isn't a joke, McPhee," it was the harsh voice on the other end of the line again. "There isn't going to be a witty punch-line. But I'm going to get a big laugh out of making you suffer."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Like you don't already know."  
  
Jack pressed the button to hang up the phone and quickly keyed in a new number. It only rang twice before it was picked up.  
  
"Hello?" said the familiar voice on the other end.  
  
"Doug? It's Jack. There's someone outside the house."  
  
Doug sensed the urgency in Jack's voice, "Stay inside, Jack. I'm on my way."  
  
Doug hung up and Jack just stood listening to the dial tone for a second.  
  
Then he placed the phone back on the stand. As soon as he let go and turned away it rang again.  
  
"Hello," he said his eyes closed as he lent against the work surface for support. He already knew who he'd hear on the other end.  
  
"That wasn't very polite now was it, McPhee? Hanging up on me when I was trying to talk to you."  
  
"And telling me how you're going to make me suffer? I guess that's the height of phone call etiquette?" Jack tried to stall while Doug was on his way.  
  
"Now now, McPhee, don't be facetious!"  
  
"Let me guess, not polite either?"  
  
"There you go again! But never mind; let's not stray from the point. Who was that on the phone, McPhee? Who did you call?"  
  
"Nah, I was just ordering a pizza," Jack said, still stalling. "If you're planning on talking to me much longer I'm going to need something to eat!"  
  
Jack had been slowly making his way toward the front door while talking to whoever was on the phone and was now reaching for the lock. There was a click as the bolt slid into place.  
  
"I heard that, McPhee! But don't worry; I'm not there anymore. Boo!" The back door started to shake as someone thudded out more rhythmic knocks.  
  
Jack ran back through the house, the noise had stopped by the time he reached the door but he locked that door too. Then he heard a sound but he wasn't sure what it was or where it was coming from at first. Then he looked down to the phone now at his side. He put the phone back up to his ear and heard laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" Jack interrupted. "I've locked both doors, you can't get in; I'm safe!"  
  
"Really? These doors don't look that strong, you know! I'm sure they'll give eventually."  
  
Jack wondered what he was talking about, and then it dawned on him.  
  
There was a loud thud as someone threw their full weight against the door. Then another as the same happened to the front door behind him. He spun around. Then both doors thudded together and then someone started battering the kitchen windows with their fists. Jack ducked into the hall, staying low, trying not to be seen from the outside. The person on the end of the phone was taking obvious enjoyment out of this, they were laughing so hard he could hear them clearly without needing to use the phone. Jack didn't know how long he sat there in the hall waiting for Doug to arrive. The defeatist in him wondered if he would even make it in time, if one of the doors or a window might not survive the beating long enough.  
  
But then he heard the sound of an engine pulling up outside and raised voices calling for people to stop. Jack peered through the front window and realised he'd been mistaken; there had been more than one engine. He watched as Doug and two other cops drag Stuart Mills and three other members of the baseball team into squad cars.  
  
Doug waved the other cops off, and only after he'd walked up to the front door did Jack dare to unlock and open the door.  
  
"Are you okay?" Doug asked as soon as the door was shut behind him. Jack could only nod feebly, staring blankly.  
  
Doug knew he was either lying or still in shock. "Why don't you go sit down while I make you a cup of tea?"  
  
"Okay," Jack said mere moments before he fell backward to the wall and slid to the floor where he started to sob.  
  
*****  
  
Jack sat on the sofa feeling the heat of the mug in his hands. Doug was sitting next to him and Jack could tell he'd be looking right at him but Jack just watched the tea in his hands. Jack had told Doug to leave if he wanted; it was late and he felt sure that Doug should be either out at work or home resting before his next shift. But Doug had stayed, sat with him on the sofa while the tea brewed. Jack knew that it was because tea was good for shock, but it was important to feel like anyone cared right now; like maybe the whole world wasn't out to screw him over.  
  
Doug had even sat there making gentle comforting noises as Jack cried.  
  
Well, not cried exactly, there hadn't been any tears. He'd just sobbed dryly as Doug had moved him to the lounge and sat him down. When he'd handed Jack the mug Doug had told him that when he'd finished it he'd have to go to the station and make a statement.  
  
Now they just sat there in silence, neither saying a word, Jack taking occasional sips of the slowly cooling tea.  
  
*****  
  
Andie got home from Jen's place to find the house empty. She called out to Jack but got no answer. She ran round the whole house trying to find her brother. As soon as she entered the kitchen she could tell something was wrong, the display on the answering machine was flashing, wouldn't Jack have checked and deleted any messages when he got home?  
  
As she walked over to listen to the messages something crunched under her sneakers. She picked up her foot and looked down to see a shattered piece of glass. The floor looked like it was wet so she gingerly reached down and wiped her fingertips around and found that the floor was slightly damp. Then she nicked her finger on another piece of glass and withdrew her hand sharply, ignoring the temptation to put it in her mouth. She ran the cut under the tap, when it stopped bleeding she dried off with a sheet of the nearby paper towel. She scrunched the towel up and then made to throw it in the bin but hesitated when she saw the glass in the bin.  
  
Why it hadn't occurred to her before she didn't know, but it was obvious that the glass on the floor hadn't gotten there by itself. She threw the towel inside the bin and then headed over to the answering machine to see if she could learn anything about her brother's from the messages left on it. She was just about to push the 'play' button when the front door opened behind her. She spun around to see Doug and Jack come in.  
  
She ran down the hallway and called out to her brother, "Jack? Jack? What happened?"  
  
He wouldn't look her in the eye but Andie could see that his eyes were red and slightly puffy; he'd been crying but didn't want her to know.  
  
"Jack, what's wrong?"  
  
"They were here, Andie."  
  
Andie put both her hands on Jacks shoulders to make him look at her,  
  
"What? Who was here? What did they do?" The last question was spoken with a ferocity that both men found surprising from Andie McPhee.  
  
Doug spoke up at this point, "I think you should let Jack get some rest, Andie. He's had a long night."  
  
Jack said goodnight to them both and then went up to his room were he lay on his bed, scratching off the Band-Aid on his hand and cried himself to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
The next morning Jack woke up to hear Jen and Andie talking downstairs.  
  
As Jack neared the bottom of the stairs Joey came through the front door and called to the other girls, "What happened? I got your message and came as soon as I -"  
  
Then Joey saw Jack standing on the last step, holding the banister rail so tight his knuckles were turning white. Jen and Andie charged out into the hallway, hand-in-hand.  
  
Joey pulled Jack's hand from the banister and led him after the other two girls into the front room.  
  
Forcing himself not to beaten by tears this time, he told the three girls what had happened the previous night and answered all their questions.  
  
Then Pacey and Dawson both arrived and Jack was forced to relive it once more.  
  
"But the important thing to remember is that they've been arrested now," Joey reminded him. "They'll get what's coming to them, they won't bother you anymore!"  
  
"I'm wish I could be so sure!" Jack replied.  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"The message on the answering machine said that I'd got the wrong guy."  
  
"That was probably just Stuart getting fired up." Dawson said, reassuringly.  
  
"Even so, on the phone he said he was going to make me suffer!"  
  
"Like we're gonna let him!" Jen put in, obviously failing to hide her anger at what had been done to her best friend.  
  
"Yeah, besides 'Big Brother' is watchin' them now!" Pacey said, forcing Jack to smile, it may have been a feeble one, but a smile all the same.  
  
*****  
  
A few days later things had once again returned to as normal as they were going to get. Jack was trying to not let his evening under siege get him down and, on the most part, it was working. Stuart Mills had been expelled and his accomplices were suspended for two weeks.  
  
It was the first Monday rehearsal and so everyone was feeling a little nervous, on edge and ever so slightly high all at once. So far everyone had their scripts and were going through them, highlighting their lines.  
  
Jack watched as Jen got up and made her way across the auditorium and talked to Joshua. Jack poked Joey, who was seated in the row in front of him, in the shoulder with the lid of his highlighter she looked up at him over her shoulder. He smiled at her and pointed over to Jen and Joshua. She looked over to where he was pointing and looked back and smiled too. Joey and Jack's whispered conversation was interrupted when Jen came back and picked her script back up. "So, what's the conspiracy?"  
  
"What conspiracy?" Joey said, smiling with fake innocence.  
  
"No conspiracy here!" said Jack.  
  
"Well, okay then." Jen said, suspiciously.  
  
"But, just out of interest, what's happening between you and Joshua?"  
  
"Nothing, I was making sure he was settling in alright."  
  
"Oh, okay then." Joey said, winking at Jack, who grinned back at her. "So how is he doing?"  
  
"Fine, he says he's doing okay in his classes and he's playing puck in [the] play."  
  
"That's good to know!" said Jack, amazed that Jen hadn't noticed that they were so obviously making fun of her.  
  
"And here comes the other mischievous little imp in our lives!" Joey said, announcing the arrival of Pacey, who plopped himself down in the seat next to her.  
  
"Hello to all of you too!"  
  
"Oh and we're having a party tonight!" Jen announced.  
  
"We are?" Pacey questioned. "Since when?"  
  
"Since I told Joshua that the six of us were having a minor party to celebrate us all making it into the play and that he was invited!"  
  
"Fine as long as it just going to be the seven of us."  
  
"Well Grams is helping at the church rummage sale tonight its at mine and I just needed an excuse to have Joshua round!"  
  
"Well guys at least she's open about it!" Jack said, patting her on the shoulder.  
  
When they started rehearsing they started at the beginning of the play which, while it made sense, was annoying as none of them were in the first scene. So, Joshua came over and sat next to Jen and they all sat and watched, while at the same time having whispered conversations about the party that evening.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	8. Wake Up Call

I think I managed to get everything. I put the corrections in red – same as usual. It's mainly in the history lesson bit. Some things weren't quite right, but then again, it is fiction and you can change what you like. Though I would recommend staying true to the show for this because it doesn't really make much difference to the plot. (  
  
Part 8: Wake-Up Call  
  
"Thanks for helping, Jack," Jen said, pulling a pack of Doritos off the shelf.  
  
"Like I had a choice!" Jack joked; he really didn't care, he just enjoyed putting up a fight.  
  
The two friends had gone straight to the store after rehearsals had finished to pick up supplies for the party later that night.  
  
"Jen? Don't you think that you should get something other than chips?"  
  
"What?" Jen answered, seemingly surprised at the question.  
  
"Well so far we've got Doritos, Pringles, Cheetos..."  
  
"Point taken. Could you go and grab me a couple of frozen pizzas?"  
  
Jack was just turning into the frozen food aisle when he saw Mr. Ames putting a Hawaiian pizza in a shopping cart. Jack pulled a pizza from of the shelf in the freezer when the drama teacher turned to see who was standing behind him.  
  
"McPhee, hi. You spending an evening with the TV too?"  
  
"Hi, no, party," Jack said gesturing with the second pizza he was taking out of the freezer.  
  
"Oh, okay then," Mr. Ames started to look embarrassed after his unflattering revelation. He tried to lighten the atmosphere of his own creation with humour. "Well, after that spout of monosyllables I'm just glad I'm not your English teacher!" He[he] said, grinning pathetically.  
  
"Well, at a push I have been known to manage words of four syllables or more!" Jack said, adding a pepperoni pizza to the pile, smiling back awkwardly at his teacher. Jack felt sorry for him; he was trying to cover up his obvious embarrassment. He was failing miserably.  
  
"Good one! Well be seeing ya!"  
  
"Sure see ya tomorrow." Jack said, adding yet another two pizzas to the already impressive stack and shutting the freezer door. As Jack rounded the end of the aisle he exhaled and shook his head gently before going back to Jen.  
  
"Six pizzas? Isn't that overkill?"  
  
"Well are you sure that... seven different kinds of chips will be enough?"  
  
"Six pizzas it is then!"  
  
"And Chips! Ooh, and Twizzlers!" Jack said, tossing a pack into the shopping cart.  
  
"And the McPhee sweet tooth rears its ugly head!" Jen rolled her eyes.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Okay, fine, pearly white head!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Jack and Jen turned up just in time to see Grams leaving.  
  
"Hello, Jack, how are you today?"  
  
"I've had worse days."  
  
"So I remember! How is your head now?"  
  
"Better thanks. There's gonna be a scar but it's not painful. Besides the stitches'll be coming out soon."  
  
"That's good to hear." Grams turned to her granddaughter, "I should be back by about eleven, Jennifer, try not to destroy anything."  
  
"I don't think it's going to be that kind of party," Jack put in.  
  
Jack could have kicked himself, Jen did it for him; Grams wasn't supposed to know about the party. Given Jen's track record in that area it had probably been the best idea.  
  
"I wouldn't worry, Jack," Grams said, seeing the look of defeat in his face. "I had already guessed. When Jennifer said she was going to hold a study group for you all I saw right through it."  
  
"I guess, I can see the flaw in that argument!"  
  
Jen flashed Jack an annoyed look, "Well I didn't hear you come up with any ideas of what to say."  
  
"Not that I wouldn't have been able to work it out by myself anyway when I saw the two of you coming in with bags full of sodas and food."  
  
Grams smiled as she looked down at her wristwatch to check on how much time she had. "Well I've got to be going if I don't want to be late."  
  
"Bye," the two teenagers called together as Grams made her way out the house.  
  
"Damn, busted," Jen murmured as soon as the door closed behind her grandmother.  
  
"See, I would have focussed on the fact that she caught you out and still trusts you enough to let it go ahead anyway."  
  
"I guess...," Jen said, cocking her head slightly as she considered the other point of view.  
  
Jack smirked at his friend and then lead the way into the kitchen.  
  
Joshua was last to arrive, living slightly further away than the others it was to be expected.  
  
"Hi," Jen said as she opened the door to him. "Come on in."  
  
"Hi, thanks," Josh replied, kicking his shoes off in the hall. "I'm sorry, for being a bit late, I hope I didn't hold you up."  
  
"No don't worry. It means I can introduce you to everyone else at the same time."  
  
"Cool."  
  
An hour later and Joshua was getting on with everyone as if he'd known them for as long as Jen had. They were sitting in the lounge eating Jen's lifetime supply of chips, the third pizza was in the oven, Delerium was playing in the background and Joshua was getting caught up with all the happenings from the six friends' lives.  
  
"Okay so let me get this right, Dawson and Joey are like life long friends who finally got together, but only after Dawson had already been with Jen, and they are now in some kind of flunk but are still friends. Pacey and Andie got together but broke up only for him and Jen to get together on Witch Island after drinking a love potion."  
  
"Actually we were never technically together," Jen put in.  
  
"Yeah we kissed and then agreed to offer solace in the future."  
  
"Fine, that wasn't quite the part of the story I was having the problem with. But Jen used to be the regular party hardy gal with the drink, the drugs and the sex..."  
  
"But who is now completely over it having grown as a person." Pacey again.  
  
Josh smirked before continuing, "And Andie had 'troubles' and started talking to her dead brother."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And Jack dated Joey but is now gay."  
  
"Well, technically I was gay before then, my dating Joey was just an attempt to cling to the last thread of supposed normality."  
  
"I guess that's understandable seeing as your family lives seem to be the very definition of dysfunctional!"  
  
"I guess that's fair, you see more realistic storylines to bad soap operas than our lives," Joey said.  
  
"Okay, did I forget anything?"  
  
"Nope that about sums it up," Jen said  
  
"Good, I will probably forget most of that so I apologise in advance."  
  
"Don't worry about it, I have a hard enough time remembering myself sometimes."  
  
Just then Silence started playing on the stereo. Jen took the lull in conversation to her advantage and stood up. "More pizza anyone?" Not a single no.  
  
"Would you like some help?" Joshua offered, already following her to the kitchen.  
  
"No that's alright, you sit back down, mingle."  
  
"Nah, its okay. I want to help. I have this big problem with being waited on hand and foot when people invite me to their houses."  
  
"Well, if you put it like that, slice," Jen handed Joshua a pizza wheel.  
  
Joshua gently took the utensil out of her hand by the blade and then took hold of the handle, and after, sliced the large pizza into eight slices, arranged it on a plate and then followed Jen, who was carrying a bottle of soda, back into the room.  
  
"You're well house-trained, Joshua!" Pacey said, as he watched the boy sit back down on his cushion and cross his legs in front of him.  
  
"Well, I try," he replied, smiling.  
  
All seven of them reached for a slice of pizza at once leaving just one on the plate and the conversation continued, through mouthfuls of Hawaiian pizza. When all seven of them started eyeing up the final slice Joey had a suggestion: "Okay, watching Notting Hill the other night must have gotten to me but why don't we say that the saddest one here gets the last slice?"  
  
"Fine, but you get to go first."  
  
"Any reason for that, Dawson?"  
  
"Well for one it's your idea. Also, we all know that you are going to lose!"  
  
"I wouldn't be to sure about that... let me see, dad in prison, dead mom, I have to help my older sister run a business just so we can support ourselves which also means that most weeks I have no privacy because my house is overrun by strangers. Also the money form this business that is just breaking even not only has to ensure our survival it also has to support me through college, if I even manage to get in!"  
  
"Like any college would ever refuse you, Jo! Okay, my parents are currently separated after my mom's affair and my dad getting with my film teacher who switches between quashing my hopes of a career in film and supporting them. Also, I'm flunking math and it's only the second week of term!"  
  
"That was a pathetic attempt!" Pacey said. "I constantly fail to even come close to measuring up in my father's eyes, especially since he and my brother and sisters have set a target that I can't even come close to meeting and I'm lucky to even make a grade in any of my classes!"  
  
"C'mon my very public history of sex, drugs and booze beats that any day!" Jen said.  
  
"Still not good enough," Andie said. "Okay then, my turn. My mother's fun history of psychological minefields which I got to join her in. And my dead older brother who was the object of my insanity."  
  
"It's only fitting that I should follow after that," Jack spoke up, "Again with the dead brother. My sister is a nut case-" he smiled coyly at Andie "- my father would rather keep as far as possible away from me rather than acknowledge my existence and treats my sexuality like some attempt of a personal insult I cooked up specially for him. Not to mention that I am currently being terrorised by some unseen foe who would like nothing better than to squash me under his shoe like a roach."  
  
"Way to kill the mood, Jack!" Pacey said after the few uncomfortable moments of silence that followed.  
  
"I'm not even sure that I should try to follow that!" Joshua said, everyone smiled awkwardly. "Just take the pizza!"  
  
"I know you may be new to the group, Joshua, but don't think you can wriggle out of this!" Pacey said. "It's your turn to humiliate yourself now, we want psychological scars and stat!"  
  
"Stat?" Jen guessed. " That's it boy, no more ER reruns for you!"  
  
"So not the point Jen!"  
  
"Fine then, but there's not much to tell. Average family life, two-point- six kids and all that, that is until my dad left when I was ten and my mom is still in denial - traded her in for a newer model. That is my life, I'm a living statistic."  
  
"That would make the pizza mine then?" Jack said reaching for the slice.  
  
"Yes, well done Jack, you bummed everyone out the most, congratulations." Jen rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yay, pizza!" Jack said through a mouthful of cheese topping, making everyone smirk. But Joshua seemed a little distracted for the rest of the evening, it wasn't obvious but Jack felt certain that Joshua had failed to mention something in his attempt to win the pizza that was eating at him for the rest of the night.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	9. Interlude

Part 9: Interlude  
  
After the party had finished, everyone left, leaving Jen and Jack to clean up.  
  
"Why do I let you do this to me?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Jack?"  
  
"Well, it's like we're permanently attached at the hip! Anytime you do something I have to help out!"  
  
"Who're you kidding? You love it!"  
  
Jack did have to admit that he was grateful for a friend with whom he felt so close. "True, but sometimes I think it might be an interesting experiment to test the length of the umbilical cord!" He grinned cheekily at Jen.  
  
"So, you just gonna walk out that front door and leave me to clean up all this mess?" Jen asked, spreading her arms out to gesture at the lounge.  
  
"You were the one who thought that party poppers were going to be a good idea!"  
  
"Shut it. Sweep"  
  
"Since when have I been an annoying yet loveable squeaky gray dog?"  
  
Jen responded by throwing a dustpan and brush at her friend.  
  
"Fine, not funny, I get it."  
  
While they cleaned the two friends listened to the storm that was starting outside as they played 'anywhere but here':  
  
"Okay, I'm in Miami, in South Beach and I'm lying on the sand with hardly anyone else around. I've just walked down from the nearest Starbuck's and I'm still holding about a half a cup of my tall caramel crème Frappuccino with extra whipped cream. It's late in the day and I can just see the bright purple sunset under the brim of my straw sun-hat but its starting to get colder so I pick up all my things and walk to Jerry's to eat.  
  
"A bit later and I'm busy eating my cheesecake when the Maitre-D' walks up and says that they're sorry but they've run out of space and would I mind if they seat someone with me. Of course, I don't mind, I've nearly finished myself, so they seat this guy with me, and its Julian McMahon. So now I definitely don't mind, and we sit there for hours, talking and drinking sodas."  
  
"Wow, Jen, that's impressive. So much better than mine!"  
  
"There was nothing wrong with yours, okay you always say the same thing but there's still nothing wrong with Florence."  
  
"Not just that, you've got such attention for detail! I mean, c'mon, Julian McMahon, and Starbuck's!"  
  
"Well I daydream a lot."  
  
"That explains the faraway look then."  
  
"You bet!"  
  
"I think we're done here." Jack said, putting the last handful of streamers in the bin-bag.  
  
"Yep," Jen said putting a pizza box in before knotting the top of the bag. "Are you sure you want to go home in this?" Jen looked out the window - the rain was coming down hard and fast and lightning flashed outside. She turned back to Jack as the thunder sounded.  
  
"I'll be fine," he pulled on a heavy coat and took a telescopic umbrella out the pocket. "I watch the Weather Channel!"  
  
Jen grinned at her friend and then walked with him to the front door to let him out.  
  
"See you tomorrow," she said as she hugged him.  
  
"Bye," said Jack as the hug ended.  
  
"Bye," Jen called back as she shut the door behind him.  
  
Jen went and sat down on the sofa in the newly cleaned lounge. She turned on the television and waited for Grams to get home.  
  
Jack got home alright, but was soaked through from the knees down. He got a surprise as he looked up when he approached the house. Standing there in front of him was a very wet Joshua. He stood there hugging his arms, soaked through.  
  
"What are you doing here Joshua? Have you had a problem getting home? Actually, why didn't Andie let you in?"  
  
"She doesn't know I'm here, she must have already gotten in when I arrived. Jack, I-"  
  
"Lets get you inside and dry first, okay?"  
  
Joshua nodded, he now stood under Jack's umbrella and a drop of rain water ran from his hair, down his forehead and dropped from his left eyebrow to his cheek, where Joshua unfolded his right arm to wipe it off.  
  
Jack closed the door behind them, took off his coat and folded up the umbrella before turning back to Joshua. "The bathroom's just over there," Jack said pointing to the door in the hall. "If you dry yourself off in there I'll go get you some dry clothes."  
  
"Sure, thanks," Joshua said.  
  
"No problem," Jack replied. "Andie!" He called up the stairs. "I'm home!" He shrugged at Joshua; "She must be asleep already."  
  
As Joshua locked himself in the bathroom Jack ran up to his bedroom, changed his own pants and then grabbed a pair of faded jeans and a long- sleeved gray T-shirt.  
  
Jack came back downstairs and called through the bathroom door; "Joshua, I'm gonna leave the clothes o-"  
  
That was as far as he got because Joshua pushed the door open and said, "that's okay I'm ready for them now, thanks though." Jack couldn't help but sneak a quick look; Joshua just stood there with the towel wrapped round his waist. Jack glanced at Joshua's well-developed biceps and then handed the clothes over. "Here you are."  
  
"Thanks." Joshua shut the door again.  
  
Blushing slightly, Jack called through the door again. "Did you want a hot drink?"  
  
"Please. But what do you have?"  
  
"Coffee, tea, hot chocolate..."  
  
"A hot chocolate would be great, thanks."  
  
"Sure." Jack made his way into the kitchen, blush receding, and he poured milk into two mugs and sat them in the microwave. He put the timer on for two and half minutes and set about getting out spoons and the chocolate powder. Just then Joshua appeared beside Jack.  
  
"Anything I can do to help?"  
  
The microwave went beeped as the timer hit zero. "You can get those out if you want."  
  
Joshua followed Jack into the lounge, both boys stirring their own mug of hot chocolate. When they sat down Jack put his mug down on the table and turned to Joshua, who was gripping his mug for the warmth. "So, Joshua, why were you waiting outside? Did you have a problem getting home?"  
  
"Actually I just wanted to talk to you. There's something I should tell you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well..." Joshua chewed his lip, obviously having trouble trying to think how to put what was bothering him.  
  
"Go on," Jack's brow was furrowed as he tried to work out what was on the other boy's mind.  
  
"You remember the other night? The night when Stuart and the other guys were here?"  
  
"Sure I do," Jack said with twinges of both pain and speculation in his voice; he wasn't likely to forget that evening any time soon but he wondered were Joshua was heading with this.  
  
"I knew it was going to happen, I mean they told me they were going to do it. They wanted me to help."  
  
"But you didn't, so its okay," Jack watched as Joshua fidgeted with his fingers.  
  
Joshua swallowed as he looked up at Jack, eyes and pupils wide and sad. "I was there, Jack."  
  
"What?" Jack exclaimed as he stood up suddenly, a whole medley of emotions playing across his features.  
  
"No not like that, I was trying to stop them. I told they should just leave, that it was stupid. I hate that I didn't get through to them."  
  
Jack's face softened, he perched on the table in front of Joshua. "You shouldn't feel so bad because a couple of idiots didn't listen to you. Don't waste your time on them."  
  
"You don't understand, Jack. It hurts so much because I like you Jack."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	10. First Date

Part 10: First Date  
  
"I like you, Jack." The words echoed over and over inside Jack's head.  
  
"Oh." Jack sat back down on the coffee table, staring blankly ahead, then at Joshua's head. "But I thought you and Jen..."  
  
"Why, because of the whole party thing?" Jack nodded. "That means nothing Jack, it was always you I was interested in."  
  
All Jack could say was "oh" again, and he felt stupid because of it.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything. It was a stupid idea; I mean I only just met you."  
  
"No, Joshua, no. I'm just... surprised is all. But don't get me wrong, it's a nice surprise! I had no idea you were even gay let alone that you liked me!" Jack smiled at the other boy.  
  
Joshua smiled back nervously. Then he asked: "So... where do we go from here?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I mean you basically know my entire back-story and I know yours. But maybe we should spend time getting to know each other better."  
  
Jack reached out his hand and took Joshua's. "After all it is nearly midnight, it wouldn't be fair for you to go all the way home now. Especially on a school night." Joshua smiled back at Jack as he was led by the hand upstairs to the bedroom. The door was shut softly behind them.  
  
The next morning the group all met up before school again. The other five were all surprised to see Jack arrive with Joshua.  
  
"Hello?!" Jen said as the two boys walked up to the porch of the B&B, "What do we have here then."  
  
The two boys were both just about to try and explain when Joey walked out of the screen door.  
  
"Jack aren't those your clothes?" she said, looking at Joshua.  
  
Joshua tried to explain: "I got soaked as soon as I walked out of Jen's last night. Jack saw me and offered me the change of clothes and a place to sleep, seeing as how it was already late and the storm didn't look like it was gonna finish quickly."  
  
"Okay then, shall we get moving?" Andie put in.  
  
When they got to school they all went their separate ways but Jen took Joshua away to a quiet corner.  
  
"Joshua, I'm sure you'll know by now that I'm not exactly backward in coming forwards so I'm just gonna say this: This Friday would you consider maybe going to see a movie with me?"  
  
"Is this you asking me on a date?"  
  
Jen smiled coyly as she nodded.  
  
"Well, in that case... no."  
  
"Okay the-" Then she realised what he's actually said. "No?"  
  
"I'm sorry but, no."  
  
"Can I ask why?"  
  
"Let's just say that you're not my type!"  
  
"And what exactly would be your type?"  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I seem to be having that effect on everyone at the moment!" He responded to Jen's blank look by explaining, "He said the same thing last night when I told him!"  
  
"Really? So that's what you guys were up to last night!" She winked at him trying to seem completely unfazed by the rejection.  
  
Joshua went wide-eyed with shock. "No! We just talked!"  
  
"Oh I'm sure!" Jen said sarcastically. She did actually feel a lot happier about the rejection now - she was happy for Jack and still had Joshua as a friend.  
  
"Good!" Joshua grinned at Jen, "We're going out tonight in fact!" He said, grin getting even bigger.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked.  
  
"The ice rink."  
  
"Ooh, bad memories."  
  
"That was Jack's reasoning for going there. 'Cos he knew there was no chance of you 'accidentally' bumping into us!" He smiled at her. "And I use sarcastic speech marks!"  
  
"Fine then, just wait till I get my hands on that boy! First he doesn't tell me anything and then goes out of his way to make spying on him harder!"  
  
Joshua couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Your sister is really pro-active when it comes to school work isn't she?"  
  
"You noticed that, huh?"  
  
"Kinda yeah," Joshua stood up wobbling slightly on his ice skates as they made their way to the ice rink.  
  
"She always has been. She just likes to be on top of things."  
  
"I'm much more of a procrastinator," Joshua explained, making Jack laugh.  
  
They reached the nearly completely empty rink and Jack watched for a moment as Joshua smoothly stepped onto the ice and gracefully skated to the centre where he turned the blades to one side to stop. From there he turned to face Jack and gestured for him to follow. Jack gingerly stepped on the ice and almost went straight over onto his face.  
  
Joshua came over to Jacks side; "you haven't really done much ice skating before, huh?"  
  
"No, none."  
  
"It's easy, I'll teach you."  
  
"Easy for you perhaps, but for the coordinationally impaired among us it presents somewhat of a challenge!"  
  
Joshua smiled at him and took his hand. "Come on. Just turn out your back foot slightly and use the blade to push you along."  
  
They took it slowly at first, but soon the two boys were flying round the rink, gloved hand in gloved hand. But then Jack saw something that made him double take and he lost control and he slipped over, landing on his butt. As Joshua helped him up he asked, "what happened?"  
  
"You know those freaky dreams I told you about?" Jack asked, scanning the area.  
  
"The one's on the bridge? Yeah, why?"  
  
"I just saw the guy from them, behind the glass, over there!" Jack pointed.  
  
"There's no one there, Jack, and besides you're talking about a character from a dream that you don't even know what he looks like!"  
  
"I suppose your right," Jack said, pushing the idea to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy himself.  
  
They carried on skating for a good hour. Joshua showed off, spinning and jumping. Jack just grinned, feeling the happiest he had in ages.  
  
When the time came to give back the skates, the boys went over to the walls of lockers to find that Jacks was slightly ajar. Jack started to panic and pulled it all the way open, but he calmed down when he looked inside.  
  
"I must just have forgotten to shut it; nothing's been taken."  
  
Then they handed back the skates in exchange for their own shoes and left for Joshua's house.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	11. Sweet Dreams

Part 11: Sweet Dreams  
  
As soon as they arrived at Joshua's, Jack was led up to the bedroom. Jack sat on the edge of the bed as Joshua went to turn on some music. Jack looked round and saw a book on the bedside table. That's good, he thought, he likes to read too. He picked up the book, it was a hardback and the sleeve had been removed so the title could only be read on the spine of the dark green cover. 'Hans Andersen: His Classic Fairy Tales'. Jack couldn't help but smile as he flicked through the well thumbed pages.  
  
"What?" Joshua said as he turned round to see Jack's beaming face.  
  
"Nothing," Jack said, "I was just looking at your book."  
  
"That's got my favourite story in it, 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', I've loved it since as long as I can remember."  
  
"I'll have to read it sometime."  
  
"I'll read it to you, if you like." Joshua said, sitting on the bed and taking the book from Jack.  
  
Joshua sat with is back against the wall and jack laid his head on Joshua's shoulder as he found the correct page.  
  
" 'Once there were five and twenty tin soldiers. They were all brothers because they had all been made from the same old tin spoon. With their rifles sticking up over their shoulders, they stood at attention, looking straight ahead, in their handsome red and blue uniforms.  
  
" "Tin soldiers!" were the first words they ever heard in this world; and they had been shouted by a little boy who was clapping his hands because he had just been given them for his birthday. He took them immediately out of the box they had come in and set them on the table. They were all exactly alike except one, who was different from the others because he was missing a leg. He had been the last one of his brothers to be cast and there had not been enough tin. But he stood as firm and as steadfast on his one leg as the others did on his two. He is the hero of our story.  
  
"Of all the many toys on the table, you noticed the pasteboard castle first. It was a little replica of a real castle, and through its windows you could see right into its handsomely painted halls. In front of the castle was a little lake surrounded by trees; in it swans swam and looked at their own reflections because the lake was a glass mirror. It was all very lovely; but the most charming part of the castle was its mistress. She was a little paper doll and she was standing at its entrance dressed like a ballerina. She had a skirt of white muslin and a blue ribbon draped over her shoulder, which was fastened with a spangle that was almost as large as her face. The little lady had her arms stretched out as if she were going to embrace someone. She stood on one leg, and at that on her toes, for she was a ballet dancer; the other, she held up behind her, in such a way that it disappeared under her skirt; and therefore the soldier thought that she was one-legged like himself.  
  
" "She would be a perfect wife for me," he thought. "But I am afraid she is above me. She has a castle and I only have a box that I must share with twenty-four soldiers; that wouldn't do for her. Still, I would like to make her acquaintance." And the soldier lay down full length behind a snuffbox; from there he could look at the young lady, who was able to stand on the toes of one leg only without losing her balance.  
  
"Later in the evening, when it was the children's bedtime, all the other tin soldiers were put back in the box. When the house was quiet and everyone had gone to sleep, the toys began to play. They played house, and hide-and-seek, and held a ball. The four and twenty tin soldiers rattled inside their box; they wanted to play too, but they couldn't get the lid off. The nutcracker turned somersaults, and the slate pencil wrote on the blackboard. They made so much noise that the canary woke up and recited his opinion of them all in verse. The only ones who didn't move were the ballerina and the one-legged soldier. His eyes never left her, not even for a moment did he blink or turn away.  
  
"The clock struck twelve. Pop! The lid of the snuffbox opened and jumped a troll. It was a jack-in-the-box.  
  
" "Tin soldier," screamed the little black troll, "keep your eyes to yourself."  
  
"The tin soldier acted as if he hadn't heard the remark.  
  
" "You wait till tomorrow!" threatened the troll, and disappeared back into its box.  
  
"The next morning when the children were up and dressed, the little boy put the one-legged soldier on the window sill. It'd hard to tell whether it was the troll or just the wind that caused the window to open suddenly and the soldier to fall out of it. He dropped down three stories to the street and his bayonet stuck in the earth between two cobblestones.  
  
"The boy and the maid came down to look for him and, though they almost stepped on him, they didn't see him. If only the tin soldier had shouted, "Here I am!" they would have found him; but he thought it improper to shout when in uniform.  
  
"It began to rain; first one drop fell and then another and then soon it was pouring. When the shower was over two urchins came by. "Look," said one of them, "there is a tin soldier. He will do as a sailor."  
  
"The boys made a boat out of a newspaper, put the soldier on board, and let it sail into the gutter. Away it went, for it had rained so hard that the gutter was a raging torrent. The boys ran along the pavement, clapping their hands. The boat dipped and turned in the waves. The tin soldier trembled and quaked inside himself; but outside he stood as steadfast as ever, shouldering his gun and looking straight ahead.  
  
"Now the gutter was covered by a board. It was as dark as it had been inside the box, but there he head four and twenty comrades. "I wonder how it will end," thought the soldier. "I am sure it's all the troll's doing. If only the ballerina were here, then I wouldn't care if it were twice as dark as pitch."  
  
"A big water rat that lived in the gutter came up behind the boat and shouted, "Have you got a passport? Give me your passport!"  
  
"The tin soldier didn't answer but held on more firmly to his rifle. The current became stronger, and the boat gathered speed. The rat swam after him; it was so angry that it gnashed its teeth. "Stop him! Stop him!" the rat shouted to two pieces of straw and a little twig. "Stop him! He hasn't got a passport and he won't pay duty!"  
  
"The current ran swifter and swifter. The tin soldier could see light ahead; he was coming out of the tunnel. But at the same moment he heard a strange roaring sound. It was frightening enough to make the bravest man cringe. At the end of the tunnel the gutter emptied into one of the canals of the harbour. If you can imagine it, it would be the same as for a human being thrown down a great waterfall into the sea.  
  
"There was no hope of stopping the boat. The poor tin soldier stood as steady as ever, he did not flinch. The boat spun around four times and became filled to the brim with water. It was doomed, the paper began to fall apart; the tin soldier was standing in water up to his neck. He thought of the ballerina, whom he would never see again, and two lines from a poem ran through his mind.  
  
"Fare thee well, my warrior bold, Death comes so swift and cold.  
  
"The paper fell apart and the tin soldier would have sunk down to the mud at the bottom of the canal had not a greedy fish swallowed him just at that moment.  
  
"Here it was even darker than it had been in the sewer; the fishes stomach was terribly narrow, but the soldier lay there as steadfast as he had stood in the boat, without letting go of his rifle.  
  
"The fish darted and dashed in the wildest manner; then suddenly it was still. A while later, a ray of light appeared and someone said, "Why, there is a tin soldier." The fish had been caught, taken to the market, and sold. The kitchen maid had found the soldier when she opened the fish up with a big knife, in order to clean it. With her thumb and her index finger she picked up the tin soldier by the waist and carried him into the living room so that everyone could admire the strange traveller who had journeyed inside the belly of a fish. But the tin soldier was not proud of his adventures.  
  
"How strange the world is! He was put back in the same room that he had left in the morning; and he had been put on the table among the toys he knew. There stood the cardboard castle and the little ballerina. She was still standing on one leg, the other she had lifted high into the air. She was as steadfast as he was. It touched the soldier's heart and he almost cried tin tears – and would have had it not been so undignified. He looked at her and she at him, but never a word passed between them.  
  
"Suddenly one of the little boys grabbed the soldier, opened the stove and threw him in. The child couldn't explain why he had done it; there's no question but that the jack-in-the box had had something to do with it.  
  
"The tin soldier stood illuminated by the flames that leaped around him. He did not know whether the great heat he felt was caused by his love or the fire. The colours of his uniform had disappeared, and who could tell whether it was from sorrow or his trip through the water? He looked at the ballerina, and she looked at him. He could feel that he was melting but he held on as steadfastly to his gun and kept his gaze on the little ballerina in front of the castle.  
  
"The door of the room was opened, a breeze caught the little dancer and like a sylph she flew right into the stove. She flared up and was gone. The soldier melted. The next day when the maid emptied the stove, she found a little tin heart, which was all that was left of him. Among the ashes lay the metal spangle from the ballerina's dress; it had been burned as black as coal."  
  
Then Joshua closed the book, to show that he was done.  
  
"Not one of your happier endings, is it?"  
  
"Not really no, but I've still always liked it."  
  
"It's a very nice story though!"  
  
"We'd better make a move though, if you want to get home before tomorrow that is!"  
  
"Do I hafta? I mean I like it here," Jack said looking up Joshua from his shoulder.  
  
"I wish you could stay too, but its maybe a bit early in the relationship for THAT!"  
  
"You're right." Jack said, pretending to be hurt.  
  
So the two boys made their way to Jacks house.  
  
"You are a complete gentleman, you know that, don't you? Walking me to the house and everything."  
  
"Well, I want to, so you just try and stop me!" Joshua said, smiling at Jack.  
  
But as they neared the front door both boys new there must be something wrong as the door was wide open and the hall was in a state. Both smiles faded as the looked inside in complete shock.  
  
"Oh God, burglars. I just don't need this. Not now."  
  
"I don't think it was burglars, Jack!" Joshua pointed at a letter and a set of photos stapled to the staircase.  
  
Jack looked at the photos they were all of Andie, wearing the clothes she'd had on that day, in her room working, making a drink in the kitchen just general stuff really but it was enough to make Jack worry, Then he read the letter. It had been written in the same red pen.  
  
"What does it say, Jack?"  
  
Jack couldn't say a word, couldn't do a thing. So Joshua took the letter from Jack's hands and, after reading it, he held a sobbing Jack as they sank to their knees on the hallway floor amid the destruction.  
  
'McPhee. What will you do when the people you care about stop coming home?'  
  
To Be Continued... 


	12. A Night to Remember

Part 12 – A Night to Remember  
  
Joshua sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers intertwined in Jack's. It had taken Jack hours to fall asleep; he'd cried for hours until no more tears would come and then he'd just sobbed dryly into Joshua's shoulder.  
  
When the police had arrived Joshua and Jack had been asked if they somewhere else to go. They weren't allowed to stay at the house, something about tampering with the crime scene, Joshua hadn't been paying too much attention. But he said that they could go to his place for as long as necessary.  
  
For a while they'd just sat on the bed, in the same position as they had done earlier when they were reading. Only this time Joshua's shirt was damp with Jack's tears and his own eyes were red and watery. When Jack had finally cried himself to sleep, Joshua had slipped out from underneath him and lain him out on the bed. He took off Jack's shoes and placed them at the end of the bed and then took off his watch and put it next to the book on the nightstand. Now he sat there watching him sleep, wishing there was something he could do.  
  
In his sleep, Jack had the dream again. It all played through the same, but when it got to the part where the Frisbee game ended, Jack made a decision; it wasn't going to be the same this time. It may have only been a dream but Jack had had enough of being the victim.  
  
As he stepped off the bridge, Jack felt an odd sense of achievement. He had power now; he was in control. He took a deep breath and started to make his way through the park. His journey was uneventful and uninterrupted, he made his way past dog-walkers, joggers and couples walking with ease, no one stopped him and no one got in his way. Then he turned a corner in the path and was suddenly all alone. The bustling park was empty. He was now standing in the middle of a circle off trees, surprised by the lack of people. He started to look around himself and that's when he noticed that the entrance to the circle he'd used moments ago was no longer there. In fact there were no gaps in the circle at all. He could see through the trees, but only to more trees; he was in a clearing in a dense forest that hadn't been there before. He was trapped, but strangely calm.  
  
"Jack," a voice said behind him.  
  
Jack spun around to see who it was behind him, talking to him. Standing in front was a figure dressed all in white. The young guy's dark-framed glasses contrasted with the baggy white trousers and white long-sleeved T- shirt. His blond hair moved in the breeze. Jack couldn't help feel a sense of familiarity.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
"No"  
  
"It's just that I look at you and I feel that I should. Know you, I mean."  
  
"This is not my true form; it was chosen for you."  
  
"Then who are you? And why do I know you?"  
  
"Who I am is not important. Not yet at any rate. In time all things shall be made clear. You do not necessarily know the owner of this form yet. It was picked from your lifetime for its familiarity. It may be that he will be important to you in the future."  
  
"But if I don't know them now, how can I recognise you know?"  
  
"Fate."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Not all things in this life are definite, but there are some things that are meant to happen; need to happen. Love is one of these things. Love is paramount for existence, necessary for life. The bond of love transcends time and space. Humans refer to this as being soulmates but it is recognised as fate. It is your destiny to love the owner of this form and so that love is known to you even now."  
  
"I will love him." The figure simply nodded in reply. "But you aren't him."  
  
"Correct."  
  
"I take it that you aren't human."  
  
The figure smiled. " No, I am not."  
  
"What are you then?"  
  
"That is immaterial."  
  
"But if I am destined to love this guy," Jack gestured at the figure in front of him. "That means that Joshua and I are doomed. Which is strange, because –"  
  
"There are many kinds of love, Jack, not just romantic love." The figure waved his hand to one side and a group of people shimmered into existence. They were also dressed all in white but, unlike the one who had summoned them, they were transparent and seemed to glow slightly. They were also all people that Jack knew or had known. Standing right at the front was Andie, and directly behind her stood Joey, Jen, Pacey and Dawson. Behind them were many more people, but they were less distinct, harder to pick out.  
  
"The Greeks understood this so well that they had separate words for each of the different kinds. Eros is romantic love; Philios is brotherly love or the love between friends; Agape is true love, unconditional love. But in some way and at some time you have loved all these people.  
  
"However," at this the whole crowd shimmered away, all except Andie who stayed exactly where she was. The figure made his way to Andie and circled round, coming to stop standing by her side, looking at her, "Andie is the reason I am here now." He now turned to look at Jack; "She is in danger, Jack. This is another one of those things that were destined to happen."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know that must be hard to hear, Jack, but she will be alright. But it had to happen to ensure your safety. You may not believe this but you are very important. And you are in grave danger. We have been trying to warn you for a long time now but the message has not been understood."  
  
"The dreams."  
  
"Yes, the dreams."  
  
"I knew they were more than just dreams like Jen was making out."  
  
"Yes but we couldn't get deep enough to tell you properly until now. Your heart had to call out for us, for our help. The despair you felt when Andie was taken from you caused you to do this. It was enough to allow us to be here now. So that I might warn you that danger is coming."  
  
"Yeah, you mentioned the danger. What danger exactly?"  
  
"I cannot say. All I can do now is warn of its approach so that you might be prepared. That, and tell you that we are with you."  
  
"And who are 'we'?"  
  
"As I said, that is immaterial. Just know that we will be your aid in the coming time."  
  
"So, what happens now?"  
  
The figure walked up to Jack as Andie also shimmered away, "Now, you wake up." He reached out and touched Jack. And Jack woke up, just as the figure had said he would.  
  
Jack woke to find himself back in Joshua's room, his hand held tightly in Joshua's.  
  
"Well that was weird." Jack said, sitting up.  
  
"What was?"  
  
"I had another one of the dreams again. Only this time, it was like I was in control. I didn't get beat up, I didn't get killed; I changed it. There was this guy, it sounds crazy I know, but I think he was and angel or something."  
  
"That's new."  
  
"He told me that Andie's going to be okay."  
  
Right then there was a knock at the door. Joshua grudgingly let go of Jack's hand and went to answer it. When he came back he had Doug in tow.  
  
"Good news, Jack, we found Andie."  
  
Joshua and Jack smiled knowingly at one another.  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"She was seen wandering down a street on the other side of town. The person who saw her was worried about her because it was late and called us in. She somehow managed to escape, but she's in the hospital now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know myself yet. I'm taking you guys down with me to find out more."  
  
When they arrived at the hospital a nurse led Jack, Joshua and Doug down corridor after corridor to take them to Andie. Joshua turned to Jack.  
  
"You're being quiet."  
  
"I know, sorry."  
  
"Don't be. Just tell me."  
  
"It's just that not too long ago I was waking up here myself. I was confused, scared and in pain. And there's nothing like a return visit to bring it all home. I just hope she's not feeling it as bad as I was."  
  
"That's very chivalrous and all, but I can't help but feel that it goes slightly deeper than that."  
  
"Well, it's just that he was right, about Andie."  
  
""Who was?"  
  
"The guy in my dream, he said that Andie was going to be okay, and here we are."  
  
"And somehow this isn't a good thing?" Joshua's brow furrowed.  
  
"He also told me that I am in grave danger."  
  
"I promise to protect you." Joshua vowed, squeezing Jack's hand.  
  
"Jack squeezed back and smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"The nurse who was leading them through the hospital stopped outside a room and turned to face the three men. "If you just wait here the doctor will be with you soon," and with that, she left.  
  
About thirty seconds later, a woman wearing a white coat with long, dark, wavy hair that fell over face as she read the chart she was carrying walked up to them. She looked up and introduced herself as Dr. McNab. "Are you Andie's family?" She asked, looking briefly back at the chart to check the name of her patient.  
  
"I'm her brother. How is she?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can only give information to family members, could you come with me please." Dr. McNab led Jack off to one side.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
"She's doing fine. When she came in her hands had obviously been bound and she'd taken a blow to the head, but we've taken care of the injuries. The rope burn will be painful for a while and we want to carry out a few tests for concussion and the like, but mostly she just needs rest."  
  
"Can I see her now."  
  
"I'll check to see if she's awake, but, like I said, she needs her rest so please try to make it short."  
  
The doctor pushed the door open and called quietly into the room. "Andie? Andie are you awake?"  
  
She obviously got some form of responsible because the next thing Jack heard was Dr McNab informing Andie that she had a visitor. Then the doctor pushed the door open more and beckoned Jack into the room. Jack entered the room somewhat cautiously and looked up to see Andie sitting up in the bed. He ran up to her and hugged her to him tightly. "I was so worried about you, Andie." Tears of joy for her safety started to well in his eyes.  
  
She pushed him off her looking a little annoyed.  
  
"I'm sorry, but do... do I know you?"  
  
To Be Continued... 


	13. All Alone in the Moonlight

Part 13: All Alone in the Moonlight  
  
Jack just stood there in disbelief. How could his own sister not recognise him? How?  
  
Doctor McNab jumped in. "This is your brother, Andie. He's come to see you."  
  
"I have a brother?"  
  
"Okay, Jack, I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside."  
  
Jack just nodded. Nodded, but didn't move. He was stuck fast to the spot. Doctor McNab pushed gently on his upper arm, trying to get him to move towards the door.  
  
"I know this must be hard Jack, but you really should wait outside."  
  
Jack finally relented and went outside.  
  
"That was quick Jack, what happened?" Doug asked as Jack re-entered the corridor. Jack didn't say anything; however, he just sat down heavily in one of the seats that lined the wall on one side of the corridor. Joshua sat beside him and took Jack's hand back in his.  
  
"She... She didn't recognise me," Jack replied, looking at neither of the two guys in the hallway with him, with a confused look on his face.  
  
Neither Joshua nor Doug knew what to say. They couldn't think of any words that could have possibly been of any comfort. Joshua simply hugged Jack tightly. Doug looked through the window into the room, even though the blinds were down.  
  
Sometime later, it could have only been twenty minutes, but to all three men it had seemed like hours, Doctor McNab returned. Jack, Joshua and Doug stood up from the seats where they'd sat, waiting impatiently for any news.  
  
"Doctor?"  
  
"Jack, there is some good news. Andie doesn't appear to have a concussion. She managed to answer our questions correctly. However, it seems evident from her reaction when you entered the room that she may have some form of amnesia. I'm going to have to get someone with more experience in this area down here to do some tests."  
  
"O- okay," Jack said, hesitantly.  
  
Then Jack returned to his seat and watched as the doctor walked to the end of the corridor and had a short conversation with a nurse before picking up one of the telephones. Not long after she'd hung up the phone, did a man in a shirt and tie greet the doctor. As Doctor McNab walked with the man back up the corridor Jack once more stood up. The man introduced himself as Doctor Pickett before disappearing into Andie's room.  
  
Doctor McNab once again addressed the three men, "There's a relative's room nearby if you'd prefer to wait there. It's more comfortable and quiet, not so many people."  
  
"I'd like to wait here, just in case. You know. I want to be nearby," Jack said, looking through the window at the closed blinds, just like Doug had.  
  
"Someone will come and talk to you and keep you informed as to any changes or news."  
  
Jack didn't say anything so Joshua spoke up. "Thank you, Doctor."  
  
Doctor McNab then led the way, back up past the telephone she'd just used and then in the opposite direction from the way Doctor Pickett had arrived. Jack was lost in the maze; he couldn't see how the doctors managed to find their way round this place every day.  
  
Shortly after Doctor McNab had left them in the Relative's Room, Jack had once again fallen asleep on Joshua. Joshua sat there with Jack's head in his lab, looking at his eyes move under his closed eyelids and stroking his hair gently. Doug fidgeted terribly and stood every now and again only to pace the floor, eventually he excused himself and returned to work. And so the two teenagers were left, one asleep in the other's lap. Joshua keeping his watch over Jack while he dreamed.  
  
For the first time in a while Jack had a new dream, one that didn't take place in the park, or on the bridge. He stood, instead, on the well-kept grass in front of a fresh grave. He was standing directly in front of the headstone but couldn't read the words that had been engraved on its surface. The grave wasn't in a cemetery; there were no other graves around. Off to one side stood a small number of mourners, dressed in black, and among them stood Jack's dream stalker. No matter how hard he tried he still couldn't make out any of the shadowy figure's features.  
  
Jack turned to look to his other side and wasn't surprised to see the blond from his previous dream standing there. If both had held out their arms they would have been close enough to touch fingertips, the exact same distance they'd been apart before. Jack opened his mouth to speak but the figure, still dressed all in white, held up a hand to silence him.  
  
"You're early."  
  
"I'm not really in control of these things, you know."  
  
"I know, but still, you're early."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"If I told you that it would defeat the whole point of you being early, wouldn't it now? If I could tell you now, then you wouldn't be early."  
  
"You've seen 'The Matrix' one too many times."  
  
The figure just smiled.  
  
"What is that, like some form of Zen non-answer?"  
  
"Something like that. Answer the door, Jack."  
  
"What's tha "  
  
Jack woke up just then to hear a knock on the door to the Relative's Room, which opened as he sat up. It was Doctor Pickett.  
  
"Jack, wasn't it?" Jack nodded as he watched how the hospital's fluorescent lighting bounced off of the balding doctor's head. Even though he was thinning on top, Jack thought he could only be in his mid-thirties.  
  
"I've finished my examination of you sister."  
  
"How is she?" The urgency and desperation were obvious in Jack's tone.  
  
"Physically she's fine. However, I believe she is suffering from what we call emotional amnesia."  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"It's what sometimes happens when a person has experienced something traumatic, it causes the person to forget certain things, including the event itself. So, while Andie knows certain details about herself and the world, she has forgotten this evening's events and many personal details. Unfortunately, as you know, this means she has absolutely no idea who you are."  
  
Jack bit his lip and squeezed Joshua's hand. "W- what's going to happen? Can you do anything."  
  
"We can't do anything definite here, but seeing as your sister's injuries are minor, we are going to release her this evening and let her go home with you in the hope that being in a familiar place will spark some memories. Because she has retained some personal information I believe that the outlook is very good for Andie."  
  
"Thank you, Doctor."  
  
Doctor Pickett smiled. "I'm going to take you back to see you sister, now. I'll be waiting outside for you when you're ready."  
  
Jack nodded and Doctor Pickett left the room, shutting the door behind him. Jack took a few deep breaths before looking at Joshua, relief in his eyes. "She's going to be okay."  
  
"I thought you knew that already."  
  
"But that was dream, just a dream. It told me what I wanted to hear, because that is what a dream does. That's why I was so quick to believe it. Some mysterious figure appears in my head while I'm asleep who knows everything about what's happening and ensures me that my sister is fine. The idea that I should believe anything like that is laughable. But to be told by a doctor, a real life doctor, that's something else."  
  
"Okay, but it's not like they told you different things though is it? Were they both just telling you what you wanted to hear, or were they both right?"  
  
"But a dream, Joshua. How can dream be right?"  
  
"Maybe the more pertinent question is how can a dream be wrong? We've got to have a reason to dream, they must serve some purpose. And somehow I doubt that the reason is to lie to us. To provide ourselves with false comfort. Especially with dreams as specific as the ones you're having right now."  
  
Joshua saw the looked at Jack, deep in thought. "Sorry, I don't mean to be so obscure and profound right now. I'm sure you don't need it."  
  
"Don't worry, I think you might have a point. I'm a little confused as to what that point is, but I'm sure you had one all the same!"  
  
"Did you want to go get Andie yet, or do you want some more time?"  
  
"No, definitely now." Jack reached out and opened the door.  
  
It was very late when they finally got home. But they weren't going to sleep yet.  
  
"I will remember something. I must."  
  
"Well she's definitely still Andie," Joshua joked to Jack.  
  
Andie saw a family picture in a frame in the hallway and picked it up. "Well I definitely know you then." She said, looking from the picture to her brother. "When was this?"  
  
Jack took the picture from Andie. "Three years ago, before we moved here. It was taken in Providence, where we used to live. We'd gone out for the evening to your birthday. We'd gone out for a restaurant and we were walking through Waterplace Park when mom got someone to take a photograph of all of us."  
  
After a while Andie shook her head. "I don't remember." She looked up and caught a look of herself in the mirror in the downstairs bathroom. "I coloured my hair?"  
  
"Yes!" Jack was overjoyed, thinking she'd remembered something.  
  
Andie, looked at him and pointed through the open door. "The mirror."  
  
Jack was crestfallen and the two of them walked back down the hall. Andie took three steps before stopping. "The mirror." she repeated, so quietly it was almost a whisper. She ran back to the bathroom.  
  
Jack followed his sister, Joshua behind him. As they entered the room they saw Andie with her hand out, fingertips touching the mirror.  
  
"What is it Andie?"  
  
"Broken. The mirror, it was broken. I remember, there were pieces of it all over the floor." She made her way back to the door and placed her hand on the door jam. "The door was closed, locked. I'd shut myself in, alone. And I broke the mirror so I wouldn't have to see him."  
  
"See who?" Joshua was confused.  
  
"Oh God, Tim." Andie turned to look at Jack with tears already in her eyes. "I remember. Columbia had just beaten Cornell. It was homecoming. Dad had had one too many tailgate martinis so Mom was driving. We were fighting for Tim's attention. We were always fighting for his attention. And, um....she didn't see the truck." The tears were coming fast now and Andie just collapsed into Jack's arms, who held her and made small whispered comforting sounds.  
  
When Andie stopped crying, she let go of her brother and took him by the hand. "I need more. I've got to remember more." She looked round the hallway frantically and stopped on the stairway. She made Jack sit on the stairs. "You were there." She moved to the middle of the floor. "We were standing here," she said, turning back to face Jack.  
  
"Who's we?" Joshua asked.  
  
"Her and Dad." Jack answered for her. He knew exactly what she was remembering now. This memory would be emblazoned on his mind forever, even more strongly than the last one. Andie nodded. Jack had no idea what was happening in his sister's head, but in his own that scene was replaying: "I will NOT calm down and I will NOT be quiet....."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"This is where I told my father. He already knew of course, but he didn't want it to be true so he ignored it, tried to smother it out of me. And Andie told him to leave."  
  
"I remember."  
  
"What do you remember, Andie?"  
  
"All of it."  
  
To Be Continued ... 


	14. Rememberance Day

Part 14: Remembrance Day 

"I still don't get it, Andie. All of what?"

"All of me. My memories are mine again. I don't feel lost or alone; a stranger in my own life. That's what I've felt like all evening. I wandered the streets looking for something, someone I knew. Or at least someone who knew me, to tell me who I was, where I was, what I was doing. I was lost in my own personal nightmare world and the only thing that felt real to me was the pain."  
  
Andie looked at the pure white bandages around both of her wrists as she held them together in front of her, her palms facing upwards and he fingers gently curled. A single tear fell from her fell from her face, which was tilted forward, and landed on the pale fabric on her arms. It was absorbed almost immediately, leaving only a small, slightly darker, spot. A stain upon the modest covering, upon the very healing process. Jack took her into his arms and gently rocked her, like a child, while she sobbed dryly into his shoulder. Little did Andie know how well she had just described her brother's life for the last few weeks.  
  
After a few minutes Andie had quietened and now just stood in her brother's arms. Joshua walked up and put his hand on Jack's other shoulder.  
  
"Maybe you should get some sleep, Andie."

Andie leant back slightly to look at Joshua and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, with a grateful smile that Joshua and Jack both returned. Brother and sister both took the other's hand and the three of them made their way upstairs. Joshua waited on the landing while Jack led Andie into her room.  
  
As Jack quietly closed the door Andie looked around at her surroundings and saw her Apple Mac on her desk, her quilt on her bed, her closet, her pictures, her walls, her room, her life. She was home.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?"  
  
"Yes, thank you."  
  
Jack smiled nervously as he slid back out of the room through the door that he opened just enough to allow his exit. As he pulled the door shut once more behind him Jack saw Joshua sitting on the stairs and made his way over. Jack walked down the first two stairs and Joshua looked up at him as he sat down next to him on the top step.  
  
For a few seconds neither of the two boys moved nor spoke, until Joshua took Jack's hand in his own and broke the silence.  
  
"Okay so this is teen drama worthy," Joshua said with a slight smile playing on his soft features.

"What is?" Jack replied, looking confused.  
  
"Stalkers, thunderstorms, kidnapping and amnesia for a start."  
  
Jack exhaled heavily through his nose as he too smiled. "I guess," he said with a slight chuckle.  
  
"You don't have to do this with me you know, Jack."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Be the strong one. Act like everything is okay when really you're falling apart inside. Play Atlas and take the weight of the world on shoulders. I care about you and I want you to be okay but I don't want you to fake it for my benefit. Cruel as it may sound I would much rather you break down because, if you do, I can help. And then together everything will be okay. And I want to do it because I know you would do exactly the same thing for me."  
  
"Tha – "

"Joshua put a finger to Jack's lips to silence him.

"That much goes without saying."  
  
"Then what do I say?"  
  
"Only what you want to."  
  
Jack stopped for a second before continuing.

"I was so sure I had lost her again."  
  
"Again?"  
  
"Andie spent the summer in an institution. Dad cam back a second time after her episode, the one that she remembered from the bathroom, and tried to take us both back to Providence with him. He wanted her... wanted **us** to get help. I decided to stay, I didn't even see there to be any other option, but Andie decided that she needed the help and went with him. I've only had her back for little more than six weeks now and I thought I'd lost her again."

"You didn't though. She's still here, sleeping just one door away. And, more importantly, you never lost her in the first place; it wasn't your fault that Andie went to Providence and you knew where she was. She wasn't lost and it wasn't your fault. Neither was it your fault that Andie was missing tonight."  
  
"But..."  
  
"It was not your fault, Jack," Joshua spoke deliberately, looking Jack in the directly in the eye.

Jack opened his mouth to speak but Joshua got there first.  
  
"If you are going to try again to say thank you, I'll kick your ass!"  
  
"Okay then, not thank you." Jack yawned.  
  
"Apparently Andie's not the only one who needs to get some sleep; lets get you to bed, mister."  
  
Jack followed Joshua obediently to his bedroom and shut the door as Joshua pulled down the covers.  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**


	15. A First Time for Everything

Part 15: A First Time for Everything 

"So...?" Joey prompted, putting a bowl of chocolate pudding on her lunch tray.

"What?" Jack asked.  
  
"What happened? I saw you and Joshua coming into school this morning after Andie's hospital appointment." Joey explained with a coy smile.

Before coming to school that morning Jack and Joshua had taken Andie back to the hospital to see Doctor Pickett after last night's revelations. He'd had to leave her there but everything had been going well when he'd left.

"Nothing happened, Jo, I'd been running on so much adrenaline that I almost burned out. Joshua was just there too; there are no dirty little secrets here."

Joey shot him an unbelieving look as the pair of them sat down.

"It's the truth!"

"You seriously expect me to believe that you've had your boyfriend stay over twice now and absolutely nothing has happened?"

"Correct."

"You could at least have the decency, then, to tell me what happened to mean that nothing happened."

"He was the perfect gentleman. We talked and then he'd sleep on the floor. Sorry to disappoint you."

"There is no disappointment; I'm happy for you, Jack." Joey smiled.

Jack continued eating, but Joey watched him for a bit longer.

"You want to know everything, don't you?"

"Oh yes." Joey said, putting her hair behind her ear.

As Jack thought of how to start a slight smile played on his face, which made Joey grin expectantly bringing Jack out of his trance.

"What?" Jack asked, innocently.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

Jack blushed slightly before explaining, "When I think of him I remember the evening of the party at Jen's house and finding him on my doorstep. He was soaked through and looked so innocent and vulnerable and also so strong. I wanted, still want, nothing more than to protect that boy standing on my doorstep but at every turn it's like I'm finding new depths of strength in him and he's the one protecting me."

"How...poetic," Joey said, mesmerised by her friend's words.

"Sickening isn't it," Jack smiled. "And it's all the other things I'm learning everyday too. I mean how often do you find a ice-skating, Hans Andersen reading, alternative music fan who you feel is finally someone on the same wavelength?"

"Hans Andersen?"

"When we were at his after we went ice-skating he read me 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', it was his favourite story as a kid."

"Still is," Joshua said, sitting down next to Jack. The two boys hugged tightly and then sat together with their fingers linked.

"So other than my nostalgia, what are we talking about?"

"That about covers it." Joey replied.

"I was just telling Joey about last night and how nothing kinky happened."

"Guilty as charged; not one for the kinks."

"So very glad to hear it," Jack smiled and squeezed Joshua's hand.

After lunch Joshua walked Jack to class, making a stop off at Jack's locker. When the door was opened a note fell from the inside of the grate and fluttered to the floor. Jack bent to pick up the computer typed note from Mr. Ames:  
  
There is to be an extra rehearsal of the final 3

scenes this evening in the auditorium at 8. I

would be very grateful if you could all attend

and apologies for the short notice.

Thanks,  
Mr. Ames

Jack slipped the note into his pocket and took out his books for the afternoon. The two boys went there separate ways.

After school Jack took the Saab and went to the hospital to pick up Andie. When he arrived he found his sister giving a statement to the police. Jack found it unnerving that the police were becoming such a constant presence in his life right now, but he took comfort in the fact that they included a familiar face in Doug Witter.

As he entered the relatives' room he shut the door quietly behind him but both Andie and the cop looked in his direction so he apologised as he sat down and listened to Andie finish answering the cop's questions.

"I never saw his face, like I said, he knocked on the front door but when I opened it there was no one there and he grabbed me when I turned round to go back into the house."

"What about when he was keeping you in the motel room?"

Andie shook her head. "He kept it really dark and was careful to stay in the shadows whenever he took the blindfold off. I'm sorry I can't help you any more, officer."

"You've been more than helpful, Andie, please don't worry," the officer stood up and put his pad away. "That's all for now, thank you for your time, Andie."

Andie smiled as the officer left and then went straight over to her brother and hugged him as tightly as she could without irritating the new dressings on her wrists.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay here with you today, Andie."

"I know, you said so this morning, but I've had so many people talking to me all at once, if you'd been there too you would have just been another face in the crowd," she smiled reassuringly. "I was fine, Jack."

"Are you ready to go home?"

"More than ready," Andie smiled.

Jack smiled in return and led her by the hand out to the car.

"Are you going to alright at home on your own? Because we've got another rehearsal this evening but there is no way I'm letting you go after the last few days you've had!"

"Yes, an eighteen year old can spend an evening alone in her locked house. I know you're worried about me Jack, but I'll be fine. I may play the terrified mouse every now and then, but I'll never be okay unless I'm pushed to be."

"All the same, I've told Grams and she's just a phone call away."

"Thank you."

Jack just smiled as he unlocked the car. As soon as she got in Andie pulled open the glove box and pulled out an Alice band, which she wasted no time in putting in her hair.

"How do you remember where you keep those? I swear it must be like a squirrel's nuts... little stashes everywhere and you only remember some of them each winter." Jack joked as he started the car. The two of them laughed as they pulled out of the car park.

Jack hadn't felt right leaving Andie alone in the house she'd been abducted from and so had called Grams when they'd got home. Grams hadn't been busy and so readily agreed to look after Andie for the evening.

On the way to school Jack stopped to pick up Joshua who had no way of getting to school that evening. Jack locked the car and slipped the key into his pocket, touching the note that was already there, which reminded him that the rehearsal started at 8. Jack looked at his watch; it was still only 6.30. He shrugged to himself and rang the doorbell and smiled as the chime played a tune that Jack new but couldn't name.

Joshua was at the door in seconds. "You're late," he chided.

"I waited for Grams to come to look after Andie, I just wish I could have."

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

"What?"

"It's Latin, it means 'who guards the guards'."

"Is there anything you don't know?"

"How they get the jelly in jelly donuts."

Jack couldn't help but laugh. Joshua just smiled at him.

"I like that sound."

For the second time that day, Jack blushed, "Do you really think of me as a guard?"

"Well, you're always seem ready to sacrifice anything to be there and protect the ones you care about. Like with Andie yesterday and this evening."

"I just do what I can," Jack suddenly felt self-conscious.

"But like with Andie this evening, you've got to know when to pass the baton. You can't always be there for everyone, Jack." With that Joshua put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

Neither boy said anything for a few seconds until Joshua spoke up once again.

"Sorry, I'm so rude; would you like a drink, Jack? I make a useless host."

"Water would be good."

"This way," Joshua let his hand on Jack's shoulder slid down to his hand and he led him into the kitchen.

"Joshua?"

"Hmmm...." came the reply from the head inside the refrigerator.

"How much did you overhear at lunch today?"

"Of the conversation between you and Joey?" Joshua handed a bottle of water over to Jack.

"Enough," Joshua gave a knowing smile.

Jack knew the other boy was playing on his curiosity. "How much is enough?"

"Enough to be able to tell you that I'm only as strong as you let me be. I thought I'd found the same strength you described to Joey in you too. Now I think that there's a strength in us." Joshua smiled again, taking the bottle of water back from Jack and placing both bottles side by side on the kitchen work surface. Then Joshua stepped in closer to Jack, close enough that Jack could feel Joshua's breath on his chin when he spoke. "And it's because of that strength that I know I can do this."

Jack was looking into Joshua's hazel eyes and so he didn't see the movement, only felt the hands on the sides of his head, cupping his jawbones and curved around his ears. Then it happened. At first both boys closed their eyes as Joshua's lips were barely making contact with Jack's, but Jack felt Joshua's lips part, just slightly, and come forward for more contact. It was so gentle and so loving that Jack gave in straight away, wrapping his own arms around Joshua's waist. There was no force in the movement, not even the slightest tug, but Joshua automatically pulled himself even closer to Jack. His right hand moving slowly from the other boy's cheek and down over his shoulder, Jack could feel his fingers moving through his hair so slowly they were almost caressing it. Joshua's hand traced the line of Jack's shoulder blade, moving down under his arm to the side of his torso and finally down to his waist, where it slowly slid back round to the small of Jack's back. Joshua's bare feet were toe to toe with Jack's shoes, and both boys were arced toward one another, meeting at the stomach. Then Jack's right hand reversed the movement of Joshua's, moving from his lower back and slowly travelling up to between his should blades, where it rested as the kiss deepened. The sides of their noses touched as Joshua's tongue moved forward toward the front of his mouth and his once again parted lips, Jack put up no resistance to its entrance but instead greeted it with his own and both took their time. Their tongues rolled and rubbed smoothly around and over one another, a slow and mild dance. There was no hunger in the kiss for anymore than for it to continue.

Jack enjoyed feeling the air move along his cheekbone whenever Joshua exhaled through his nose, still side by side with his own, and everytime he did so he understood exactly what Joshua had meant, there was a strength in the two of them, together.

Finally Jack's hand began roaming once again, coming up over Joshua's shoulder and slowly down his upper arm, the feel of his bicep as his hand moved off the sleeve of his T-shirt causing him to exhale along Joshua's cheek, causing the same feeling of electricity he himself had felt everytime the air had stroked his own face. Though it slowed even further Jack's hand did not stop, moving over the elbow and back up the forearm where his fingers curled between Joshua's. Joshua's tongue withdrew as he understood that, unfortunately, the kiss was about to end. Both pairs of lips closed and were pulled back till there were once again just touching, where they paused before finally both boys lent their heads back just enough to open their eyes and look at one another.

Jack was positioned so he could see the night sky through the window behind Joshua. "When did the sun go down?"

"It hasn't," Joshua replied, smiling as he looked into Jack's eyes.

_**To Be Continued...**_


End file.
